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TORONTO – Four matches from the opening week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place on Sunday (June 14, 2026) local time, continuing into early Monday morning Indonesian time.

The fixtures comprised two matches each from Group E and Group F.

The early Monday clashes saw Germany thrash Curaçao 7-1, Sweden claim a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia, and Ivory Coast edge Ecuador 1-0.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw, finishing level after a thrilling contest.

The Netherlands — the team favoured by Riau Islands Police Chief Inspector General Asep Safrudin — twice held the lead, but the Samurai Blue equalised on both occasions.

The police chief openly expressed his support for the Dutch team, citing his past experience living in the Netherlands.

“For me, my favourite team in the World Cup is the Netherlands. Why the Netherlands? Because I used to live there,” he said with a smile.

The draw left the Netherlands in third place in Group F with one point, level with Japan, who sit second.

Sweden lead Group F with three points after their 5-1 win over Tunisia, while Tunisia occupy fourth with zero points.

Germany’s emphatic 7-1 victory came against debutants Curaçao in their first-ever World Cup appearance.

The result put Germany at the top of Group E with three points, equal with second-placed Ivory Coast, though separated by goal difference.

Ecuador sit third with no points and a single goal conceded, while Curaçao are bottom after letting in seven goals.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Results – Sunday, June 14, 2026 (Monday morning Indonesian time)

• Germany 7-1 Curaçao [Felix Nmecha 6', Nico Schlotterbeck 38', Kai Havertz (p) 45+5', 88', Jamal Musiala 47', Nathaniel Brown 68', Deniz Undav 78' – Livano Comenencia 21']
• Netherlands 2-2 Japan [Virgil van Dijk 51', Crysencio Summerville 64' – Keito Nakamura 57', Daichi Kamada 89']
• Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador [Amad Diallo 90']
• Sweden 5-1 Tunisia [Yasin Ayari 7', 90+6', Alexander Isak 30', Viktor Gyökeres 59', Mattias Svanberg 84' – Omar Rekik 43']

Germany 7-1 Curaçao

Goal scorers: Felix Nmecha 6', Nico Schlotterbeck 38', Kai Havertz (p) 45+5', 88', Jamal Musiala 47', Nathaniel Brown 68', Deniz Undav 78' – Livano Comenencia 21'

• Germany dominated possession with 65 percent compared to Curaçao’s 35 percent.
• Germany took 16 shots in the first half — the most in a World Cup opening half since Ivory Coast’s 16 against Serbia in 2006 — leading to a 3-1 halftime score.
• Germany registered 26 shots with an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.91, 12 of which were on target, while Curaçao managed only 0.4 xG (2 shots on target) from eight attempts.
• This was not the first time Germany won 7-1, but it marked the heaviest defeat ever for a debutant team since South Korea’s 0-9 loss to Hungary in 1954.
• Curaçao’s lone goal was their first-ever in a World Cup finals.
• Germany’s win extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches across all competitions — their second-longest in history after a 12-match run between 1979 and 1980.
• At 05:17, Felix Nmecha’s goal was Germany’s fastest on a World Cup debut since Philipp Lahm’s at 05:08 against Costa Rica in 2006.
• Germany are now the all-time top scorers in FIFA World Cup history with 239 goals, surpassing Brazil’s 238 after their seven-goal haul against Curaçao.
• Germany have won their opening World Cup game by at least three goals for the eighth time — three more than any other nation (France, 5).
• They have also scored seven or more goals in a single World Cup match more often than any other team (4 times), surpassing Hungary (3).
• Kai Havertz equalled his best scoring run for Germany, netting in three consecutive matches for the first time since October 2021 to March 2022. Across club and country, Havertz has scored in five of his last six appearances (six goals — three for Arsenal, three for Germany).

Netherlands 2-2 Japan

Goal scorers: Virgil van Dijk 51', Crysencio Summerville 64' – Keito Nakamura 57', Daichi Kamada 89'

• Daichi Kamada’s 88th-minute strike was Japan’s latest-ever World Cup goal to alter a result.
• It was also the second-latest equaliser to deny the Netherlands victory in a non-final World Cup match, after Mexico’s 90+5 equaliser in 1998.
• This was the first time the Netherlands led twice in a World Cup match but failed to win.
• Conversely, it was the second time Japan came from behind twice to avoid defeat, following their 2-2 draw against Senegal in 2018.
• The Netherlands failed to beat an Asian nation for the first time in six World Cup meetings, conceding more goals (2) than in their previous five combined (1).
• This was the first World Cup match to end 2-2 after a goalless first half since Germany vs Ghana in 2014.
• Virgil van Dijk’s goal — his first in a major tournament (World Cup/Euro) — made him the second-oldest Dutch goalscorer at the World Cup (34 years, 341 days), behind Giovanni van Bronckhorst (35 years, 151 days) against Uruguay in 2010.
• Crysencio Summerville became the first Dutch player to score on his World Cup debut since Daley Blind against Brazil in 2014.
• Ryan Gravenberch became only the second Dutch player since 1966 to provide two assists on his World Cup debut; the other was Daley Blind against Spain in 2014.
• The Netherlands fielded a starting XI without a single Eredivisie-based player for the first time in their 56 World Cup finals matches.

Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador

Goal scorer: Amad Diallo 90'

• The match was low-scoring as both sides displayed strong defensive structures. Ivory Coast had gone through CAF qualifying without conceding, while Ecuador had allowed only five goals — the fewest in CONMEBOL — and recorded eight goalless draws.
• All 11 of Ecuador’s starters were based abroad for the first time in their World Cup history, with Moisés Caicedo returning after serving a one-match suspension.
• Amad Diallo’s winner (89:32) was the latest match-winning goal by a substitute in a 1-0 World Cup match since Francesco Totti’s 94th-minute penalty for Italy against Australia in 2006.
• Diallo became the fourth substitute to score for Ivory Coast at the World Cup, following Salomon Kalou (2010 vs North Korea), Bonaventure Kalou (2006 vs Serbia), and Wilfried Bony (2014 vs Greece).
• Yan Diomande recorded 12 touches in the opposition box — the joint-second highest by an Ivory Coast player in a World Cup match, level with Didier Drogba (2010) and behind Aruna Dindane’s 13 (2006).
• This defeat ended Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten run across all competitions (8 wins, 11 draws), their longest ever.
• Ivory Coast’s win marked their first-ever victory over a South American side at the World Cup, ending a run of three defeats (2006 vs Argentina, 2010 vs Brazil, 2014 vs Colombia).

Sweden 5-1 Tunisia

Goal scorers: Yasin Ayari 7', 90+6', Alexander Isak 30', Viktor Gyökeres 59', Mattias Svanberg 84' – Omar Rekik 43'

• Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak both scored and assisted in Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia.
• Graham Potter’s side now lead Group F by two points over Japan and the Netherlands after their 2-2 draw.
• Yasin Ayari, who netted twice, has Tunisian heritage through his father.

Group E Standings – FIFA World Cup 2026

1. Germany – 1 match, 1W, 0D, 0L – [7:1] +6 – 3 pts

2. Ivory Coast – 1 match, 1W, 0D, 0L – [1:0] +1 – 3 pts

3. Ecuador – 1 match, 0W, 0D, 1L – [0:1] -1 – 0 pts

4. Curaçao – 1 match, 0W, 0D, 1L – [1:7] -6 – 0 pts

Group F Standings – FIFA World Cup 2026

1. Sweden – 1 match, 1W, 0D, 0L – [5:1] +4 – 3 pts

2. Japan – 1 match, 0W, 1D, 0L – [2:2] 0 – 1 pt

3. Netherlands – 1 match, 0W, 1D, 0L – [2:2] 0 – 1 pt

4. Tunisia – 1 match, 0W, 0D, 1L – [1:5] -4 – 0 pts

Upcoming Fixtures – FIFA World Cup 2026

Monday, June 15, 2026 (Indonesian Time)

• 23:00 WIB – Spain vs Cape Verde

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 (Indonesian Time)

• 02:00 WIB – Belgium vs Egypt
• 05:00 WIB – Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay
• 08:00 WIB – Iran vs New Zealand