Germany vs Curaçao

The curtain lifts on Group E with one of the most lopsided-looking openers in this World Cup's schedule, yet Curaçao arrive in North America with a story that demands more than condescension. Germany, four-time world champions, come off a Nations League campaign that reminded everyone Die Mannschaft's rebuild under Julian Nagelsmann has teeth again — but also occasional gaps at the back. Curaçao's path through CONCACAF qualifying was the stuff of Caribbean legend: they eliminated Canada on away goals in Toronto, then held Honduras over two legs with a defensive discipline that belied their island's population of 150,000. Manager Remko Bicentini has forged a side that sits deep, transitions through Leandro Bacuna's carrying ability, and trusts goalkeeper Eloy Room to keep them in any match.

The trouble is that Germany's front line feeds precisely on the space low blocks surrender in the half-spaces. These two nations have never met. Their only reference point is the tape, and the tape says Germany will dominate possession.

The question is whether Bacuna, Juninho Bacuna, and the tireless Keny Brevian can sting on the break often enough to make Nagelsmann sweat. If Room produces the performance of his life and Curaçao stay compact through the first half-hour, the improbable might flicker into view. Otherwise, this shapes as a professional German dismantling.