Overview
- Germany’s group schedule is set: Curaçao on June 14 in Houston, Ivory Coast on June 20 in Toronto, and Ecuador on June 25 in East Rutherford.
- Curaçao makes its World Cup debut as the smallest-ever qualifier, coached by 78-year-old Dick Advocaat and built around players developed in the Netherlands.
- Ivory Coast enters as the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations winner after a qualifying campaign without a single goal conceded.
- Ecuador finished second in South America and beat Argentina 1–0 in Guayaquil, with key figures including Enner Valencia, Moisés Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapié.
- A planned March friendly against Ivory Coast in Stuttgart will be replaced because the teams are now scheduled to face each other in the group stage.