Germany news

It's so close we can almost taste it. The 2026 World Cup is now just a two days away, with the best players from around the globe descending on the United States, Mexico and Canada for what promises to be a superb summer of football. While some teams will solely harbour dreams of getting out of the groups, others know that anything other than a trophy parade in late-July will go down as failure. We're set, then, for five-and-a-half weeks of drama, filled with joy and heartbreak in equal measure.

There really is nothing like the World Cup. Even just qualifying generates a level of nationwide excitement that the club game simply cannot match, which is why we witnessed truly joyous scenes all across the globe as one country after another secured a spot at this summer's festival of football in North America. The final six participants were confirmed in March, with Sweden, Turkiye, Czechia and Bosnia & Herzegovina taking the four remaining slots in Europe, while Iraq and DR Congo came out of the inter-confederation play-offs.

The U.S. responded well to going 1-0 down against Germany, but settled for little more than a hard-working loss against a better opponent - an eerily familiar outcome.

We are now just days away, and World Cup fever is gripping the globe as teams from 48 countries descend on the United States, Mexico and Canada for the biggest tournament FIFA have ever staged. Managers are making their final plans ahead of the opening round of group games, but for some there are still massive decisions to be made.

How to watch the World Cup match between Germany and Curacao, as well as kick-off time and team news

Germany have been dealt a massive blow ahead of the 2026 World Cup with the news that Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the tournament. The 18-year-old’s dreams were crushed during the final training session before Germany's friendly against the USA, leaving Julian Nagelsmann to find an emergency replacement. Team-mate Deniz Undav later detailed the awful setback.

The USMNT fell short against Germany in their final pre-World Cup tune-up, but Mauricio Pochettino still saw signs of progress as Antonee Robinson delivered a stunning goal, Malik Tillman impressed in a deeper role, and Miles Robinson endured another difficult outing.

Antonee Robinson scored a screamer and the USMNT showed plenty of fight, but defensive lapses proved costly in a 2-1 loss to Germany.

Antonee Robinson has built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s top left backs, but the USMNT defender showed he can be just as dangerous at the other end of the pitch. Robinson blasted a rocket past Germany goalkeeper Oliver Baumann to pull the Americans level at 1-1 - and somehow, his celebration may have been even better.

FIFA has announced a significant protocol modification that will see every squad member take part in the pre-match national anthems at the upcoming World Cup. Moving away from traditional sporting custom, football's global governing body has mandated that both starting line-ups and substitutes congregate together on the pitch ahead of kick-off.