Germany vs Ivory Coast Prediction Today? Our Final Pick & Analysis

Germany vs Ivory Coast is a straight shootout for top spot in Group E today, and both teams have earned it. Germany opened with a statement, Ivory Coast opened with a grind, and now the winner takes control of the group. So who actually wins this one?

I have gone through the form, the standings, the team news and the head to head to give you a straight answer. The score prediction and my final pick are lower down, but the short version is that Germany are clear favorites, only Ivory Coast are exactly the kind of disciplined, dangerous side that can make life difficult.

Both teams won their first game, so three points here could all but book a place in the next round. That raises the stakes nicely.

Germany vs Ivory Coast match details

This is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E game on Matchday 2, and it is being played in Canada. Here is everything you need before kickoff.

• Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026, Group E, Matchday 2
• Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
• Kickoff: 4:00 PM ET and local time in Toronto, 3:00 PM CT, 1:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM BST, 10:00 PM in Germany, 8:00 PM in Ivory Coast
• Venue: Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada
• Group: E, alongside Curacao and Ecuador

If you want to watch live, viewers in the United States can tune in to FOX in English, with Spanish coverage on Telemundo and streaming on Peacock. In the United Kingdom the game kicks off at 9:00 PM.

Germany team form and key players

Germany could hardly have made a louder start. They thrashed tournament debutants Curacao 7-1 in their opener, their biggest World Cup winning margin since the famous 7-1 against Brazil in 2014, with Kai Havertz scoring twice and Jamal Musiala also on the mark. It was a reminder of just how much firepower Julian Nagelsmann has at his disposal.

That form is no one-off. Germany have won all five of their most recent matches, scoring 19 goals along the way, including friendly wins over the United States and Finland. They are also four-time world champions and now the all-time top scorers in World Cup history with 239 goals, even if they are still trying to rebuild their reputation after group-stage exits at both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

The danger is everywhere. The front four of Florian Wirtz, Musiala, Leroy Sane and Havertz is arguably the most exciting attack at the tournament, with Havertz the only German to score at each of the last four major tournaments.

Behind them, captain Joshua Kimmich runs the show, and 40 year old Manuel Neuer, the oldest German ever to play at a World Cup, remains in goal. Winger Serge Gnabry is the notable absentee, ruled out of the tournament.

Ivory Coast team form and key players

Ivory Coast did things the hard way, and it worked. They beat Ecuador 1-0 in their opener through a stoppage-time winner from Amad Diallo, defending deep, staying compact and breaking with pace when the chance came. It was a composed, disciplined display that summed up the organized team Emerse Fae has built since leading them to the African title in 2024.

There is real substance here too. In their World Cup warm ups, Ivory Coast beat both Scotland and France, results that turned heads, and they arrive as one of the most athletic sides in the competition. The catch is experience: all 26 players in Fae’s squad are playing in their first ever World Cup, which showed in how cautious they were going forward against Ecuador.

The main man is Amad Diallo, the Manchester United winger whose pace and directness give Ivory Coast a genuine threat on the counter. Franck Kessie brings control and physicality in midfield, Ibrahim Sangare adds power alongside him, and Nicolas Pepe offers experience in attack.

The question marks are at the back, where Evan Ndicka is a fitness doubt after missing the opener, and up front, where the starting striker spot is unsettled.

Germany vs Ivory Coast head-to-head

There is barely any history to lean on here. These nations have met just once before, a 2-2 friendly back in November 2009, a game best remembered for Lukas Podolski scoring twice for Germany, including a late equalizer.

That makes this effectively a first real meeting between the two, so recent form matters far more than the record books. And recent form points firmly in Germany’s direction.

How both teams could line up

Expect Germany to dominate the ball and attack through their fluid front four, while Ivory Coast sit in a compact shape and look to release Amad Diallo and their wingers on the break. Whether Fae’s well-drilled defense can absorb that pressure is the heart of this game.

Germany likely XI (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz

Ivory Coast likely XI (4-4-2): Y. Fofana; Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diomande, Kessie, S. Fofana, Amad Diallo; Pepe, Bonny

Both lineups above are predicted. Nagelsmann is expected to keep faith with the team that beat Curacao, while Fae has decisions to make in defense and attack, so the official starting elevens, confirmed roughly an hour before kickoff, are worth checking.

The key battle is obvious. If Ivory Coast can win the ball and break quickly through Amad and Yan Diomande into the space behind Germany’s attacking full backs, they have their best route to a goal.

What is at stake in Group E

The math is simple and the prize is big. Both Germany and Ivory Coast won their openers, so both sit on three points at the top of Group E, with Curacao and Ecuador on zero. This game is a direct fight for first place.

A win here would put the victor on the brink of the next round with a game to spare, while the loser would be left sweating on their final group fixture. For Germany, topping the group is the expectation.

For Ivory Coast, beating a giant and moving close to the knockout rounds would be one of the biggest moments in their World Cup history, since they have never made it out of the group stage before.

Before we reveal our pick, cast your vote:

Germany vs Ivory Coast prediction: who will win today?

Now to the part you came for. This one leans firmly one way, even if it is not a foregone conclusion.

Germany are favorites, and it is easy to see why. Their attack is the most dangerous in the tournament, their form is red hot, and the depth of top-level experience across the squad is far beyond what Ivory Coast can call on.

The Opta supercomputer agrees, making Germany the pick in around 44 percent of its simulations, although it gives Ivory Coast a healthy 30 percent, a sign this could be closer than the gap in reputation suggests. When Germany move the ball the way they did against Curacao, very few defenses in the world can live with them.

The case for Ivory Coast is their organization and their counter-attack. They kept a clean sheet against a good Ecuador side, they have already beaten France and Scotland this year, and in Amad Diallo they have a player who can punish one mistake. If they stay compact and pick their moments, they can absolutely make Germany uncomfortable.

When I weigh it up, I expect Germany’s quality to win out, but for Ivory Coast’s discipline and pace to make them work for it rather than handing them another rout.

Prediction: Germany to win, 2-1.

Final pick: Germany.

Ivory Coast are well organized and carry a real threat on the break, so do not be surprised if they grab a goal. But Germany have too much attacking quality, and they should have just enough control to come through today.