We are underway in Toronto, with Germany kicking from left to right in this first half. An early chance as the ball drops to Havertz from 12 yards out, but his first-time shot hooks well over Fofana's goal!

The teams emerge at the Toronto Stadium for the national anthems. Germany's anthem will be followed by that of Ivory Coast. This should be a cracker of a game!

We are just under 15 minutes away from kick-off at the Toronto Stadium. The players are done with their warm-ups and are heading back to the dressing rooms to get one final prep before the action begins. Stay tuned!

Ivory Coast have the youngest squad of the 48 teams in this tournament. Their head coach Emerse Fae says his youngs guns have the quality to shock Germany in Toronto.

"We're not coming to watch the Germans play. We're coming to beat them, we're coming to get that qualification for the second round," Fae said.

"But above all, we want to go home after the game tomorrow to our base camp in Philadelphia not only with our six points, but also the certainty that we'll finish top of the pack."

A special day for Jonathan Tah! He is set to start for Germany against the country of his father's birth.

"This is going to be something special, that is true, to play against ‌the [Ivory Coast] team," Tah said.

"Of course, I'm excited about the [opportunity], and it's definitely going to be more extraordinary than against any other team."

Elye Wahi returns to the matchday squad after missing the previous game due to a visa issue. However, he starts on the bench tonight for Les Elephants, who have made five changes. Meanwhile, Germany are unchanged from the side that ruthlessly swept aside Curacao.

Official XI | Germany v Cote d'ivoire pic.twitter.com/tAnB4qKtzt

— World Cup Arena (@WC2026Arena) June 20, 2026

Germany come into the contest on the back of a 7-1 rout of Curacao, which marked their 10th consecutive win in all competitions. Kai Havertz led the charge with a clinical brace, while Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, and Deniz Undav also found the back of the net. A victory in Toronto today would secure them top spot in Group E and a guaranteed place in the knockout rounds.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E clash between Germany and Ivory Coast. Both teams are just a win away from securing qualification for the knockout stages, having successfully won their respective opening matches.