Ecuador Stuns Germany as Japan and Sweden Advance in World Cup Group Play

The 2026 World Cup group stage moved closer to its finish overnight, with three more groups completing their matches and several places in the round of 32 decided. The headline result came in Group E, where Ecuador pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest shocks by beating Germany 2-1 and effectively securing progression to the next round.

Germany had already clinched first place in the group before kickoff and fielded a rotated side, yet Leroy Sane put it ahead in the second minute. Ecuador responded quickly through Nilson Angulo, then completed the comeback with Gonzalo Plata’s winner. In the same group, Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 behind a Nicolas Pepe brace, finished second, and eliminated the Caribbean debutants, who ended their first World Cup with one point.

Group F was also settled. The Netherlands topped the group with a 3-1 win over Tunisia, aided by an early own goal, plus goals from Brian Brobbey and Jean Paul van Hecke. In the other match, Japan and Sweden drew 1-1. Daizen Maeda scored for Japan and Anthony Elanga equalized minutes later, and the point was enough for both teams, with Japan finishing second and Sweden going through as one of the best third-place sides.

In Group D, the United States continued its strong run with a 3-2 victory over Turkey. Auston Trusty opened the scoring, Arda Guler and Burak Yilmaz turned it around, but Sebastian Berhalter and Kaan Ayan, with a stoppage-time winner, gave the hosts another win and first place in the group. Australia and Paraguay played to a 0-0 draw, which sent Australia through second and Paraguay through third on points. The article also noted that as the group stage nears its end, the round-of-32 picture is becoming clearer, while Ecuador’s win over Germany stands out as one of the tournament’s major results so far.