Germany go into their meeting with Ivory Coast after a 7-1 opening win over Curaçao and a ten-match winning run. Ivory Coast were almost as efficient in their first game, beating Ecuador with a late winner from Amad Diallo. The headline is simple enough: one side has been scoring heavily, the other has been closing games out.

Why Germany's attack looks hard to slow down

Germany's opener was not just a clean win, it was a seven-goal statement. Kai Havertz scored twice, Joshua Kimmich delivered two assists, and Jamal Musiala posted an 8.2 rating. That spread matters because it suggests the threat is not being carried by one player alone.

Germany have also kept the run going for ten games, which is the kind of stretch that usually means the attack is finding repeatable patterns rather than living off one good night. If Julian Nagelsmann wants the same tempo again, the shape around Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sané and Kai Havertz is likely to matter as much as the finishing itself.

Why Ivory Coast can still make this awkward

Ivory Coast are not arriving as passengers. They beat Ecuador 1-0 with a late winner from Amad Diallo, extended their winning streak to five games and kept clean sheets in four of those matches. That is not the profile of a team that needs to dominate a match for 90 minutes to get what it wants.

There is also a selection layer to this one. Elye Wahi was initially denied entry to Canada amid visa issues linked to alleged spot-fixing reporting. The Ivorian Football Federation later said the necessary authorisations had been obtained and that Wahi would continue in the competition. The Standard also said it remained to be seen whether Wahi would start against Germany, with Evann Guessand, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Oumar Diakite as alternatives. That leaves a genuine question over the front line, even if the travel issue was later eased.

For Emerse Fae, the task is to keep the game compact long enough for the late moments to matter again. The recent results suggest Ivory Coast are comfortable doing exactly that.

Germany have the sharper attack on paper and the better recent scoring line. Ivory Coast have shown they can stay in games, protect their box and nick a result late. In Toronto, that makes this more than a straightforward form check, and Wahi's status is the one part of the build-up that could still shift before kick-off.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →