World Cup: Group E: Germany vs. Cote d'Ivoire, 6/20/2026

[S E P H]

Just waiting for them to schedule my ceremony at this point. Already completed the interview and was told by both the agent & my lawyer that it went well.

I can't like posts, but smooth brethren! Luckily, my parents did the dirty work so I didn't need to.

 

[bluesfan94]

 

[cgf]

You're right. And now that I think about it more, France will know the E standings before they play Norway, so they'd likely be able to select their bracket partner anyways and there's not much we can do about it. We all know they wouldn't pick Germany...

But also it's silly of me to really begin to discuss the bracket when we'll only really know what it looks like towards the end of Matchday 2 and we're still in Matchday 1. Fae has already said he wants to lock up qualification on Matchday 2, which would require us to beat Germany.

I mean they might lol, especially if you follow the tradition of making us struggle in our second match against an athletic team that can burn us on the break. Making us look like a more vulnerable target and you like a more threatening one.

This team still has a lot to prove to show that we're back...and the whole Sane thing might just blow up our locker-room because of the coddling he requires not to start sulking & become completely useless, while Undav continues to be amazing off the bench despite Nagelsmann being fairly critical of him in the press...pointing to Undav's workrate & much greater efficacy in the second halves of games as reasons he likes him more as a joker from the bench.

But yeah, the bracket shenanigans are for the later groups to play. All our teams can do is grow into the tournament, give the people at home something to cheer about, and make sure that they progress while getting everyone involved in the group stages; so they are locked in & fresh for the knockouts.

 

[luiginb]

The more I learn about this guy the less I like him. Prison FC soon

 

[kabidjan18]

So, I checked Ivorian twitter, and a lot of them think this is a hit job from American media to help their German friends by distracting the team. And some of them question why the French government cares.

I’ve always seen Wahi as a sort of stopgap player. Before the 2025 AFCON, we got Alban Lafont as GK2, and I think we really believed our player pool was set. We were passively pursuing players like Bonny, Yoro, Kroupi, but it was not urgent.

When AFCON was a disaster, I think we really identified the need for a true 9. But we didn’t get our first choice Kroupi. Bonny was on the fence for a long time, and Wahi volunteered himself early.

For the next cycle we have a number of targets and prospects at the position. He could still play his way onto future teams but the reality is that he’s not a true 9 either. So we will see.

 

[S E P H]

Just noticed that Musiala’s goal was almost exactly the same as Mbappe’s first. Kimmich makes almost the same exact pass as Olise to play Jamal in.

That's one of the downsides of Germany; they don't have anybody who can match Olise. I feel that Gnarby was supposed to be that bloke, and even though he is still a top-tier player, he never developed into that for Deutschland.

What are your thoughts on Nmecha? Is he going to be good?

 

[cgf]

So, I checked Ivorian twitter, and a lot of them think this is a hit job from American media to help their German friends by distracting the team. And some of them question why the French government cares.

I’ve always seen Wahi as a sort of stopgap player. Before the 2025 AFCON, we got Alban Lafont as GK2, and I think we really believed our player pool was set. We were passively pursuing players like Bonny, Yoro, Kroupi, but it was not urgent.

When AFCON was a disaster, I think we really identified the need for a true 9. But we didn’t get our first choice Kroupi. Bonny was on the fence for a long time, and Wahi volunteered himself early.

For the next cycle we have a number of targets and prospects at the position. He could still play his way onto future teams but the reality is that he’s not a true 9 either. So we will see.

The English language press loves seeing us fail…that’s one of the reasons we’re always cast as the villains of international football & why Donovan sounded down right depressed when we started pummeling curaçao…so consider me skeptical that they’d ever do anything they thought might help us

Man Kroupi would have been a huge get for you with those young wingers to feed him for the next decade. That would’ve been a ton of fun :-/

 

[cgf]

That's one of the downsides of Germany; they don't have anybody who can match Olise. I feel that Gnarby was supposed to be that bloke, and even though he is still a top-tier player, he never developed into that for Deutschland.

What are your thoughts on Nmecha? Is he going to be good?

oh Seph, your footballing hot takes are the best lol.

But yes, Nmecha is excellent in a well coached & officiated league like the BuLi. In a s***show like the epl he’d already be a 100M player.

 

[bluesfan94]

So, I checked Ivorian twitter, and a lot of them think this is a hit job from American media to help their German friends by distracting the team. And some of them question why the French government cares.

They think the American media made up an arrest by French officials? Okay then.

 

[S E P H]

oh Seph, your footballing hot takes are the best lol.

But yes, Nmecha is excellent in a well coached & officiated league like the BuLi. In a s***show like the epl he’d already be a 100M player.

Who's challenging Olise from Germany as a top 5 player in the world?

 

[kabidjan18]

They think the American media made up an arrest by French officials? Okay then.

I think their idea is that American media had this story for a while (since the arrest was mid May) and chose to strategically drop it just before the Germany game to distract from preparations.

Now, do I think that the NYT was actually trying to do that? No...

 

[cgf]

Who's challenging Olise from Germany as a top 5 player in the world?

Who from the 2014 team was challenging Wirtz & Musiala? And spare me flo’s EPL numbers, he’s dominant for the NT regardless of Slot’s incompetence.

We don’t need to have the best player in the world to add stars to our shirt.

 

[S E P H]

Who from the 2014 team was challenging Wirtz & Musiala? And spare me flo’s EPL numbers, he’s dominant for the NT regardless of Slot’s incompetence.

Wirtz and Musiala are great. I am not anti-Deutschland or pro-France. Evilo annoyed me enough with his pro-Citeh-Cherki nonsense all season that I'm semi-hoping France loses lol.

I don't think it's a hot take to say that Germany doesn't have anyone who can match Olise. That doesn't mean they're weak in other areas. Hell, you lot brought back The Third Reich from the cryochamber for this tournament and you got Freddie roaming around 'Merica lol. You lot are fine until the final 8 or so.

 

[cgf]

Wirtz and Musiala are great. I am not anti-Deutschland or pro-France. Evilo annoyed me enough with his pro-Citeh-Cherki nonsense all season that I'm semi-hoping France loses lol.

I don't think it's a hot take to say that Germany doesn't have anyone who can match Olise. That doesn't mean they're weak in other areas. Hell, you lot brought back The Third Reich from the cryochamber for this tournament and you got Freddie roaming around 'Merica lol. You lot are fine until the final 8 or so.

It’s a hot take to suggest that Olise having a better season than Wirtziala this year, after being worse than both last year, is the main difference between our teams…and that Gnabry was ever the kind of talent Wirtz / Musiala / Karl / Olise / Doue / Cherki are.

France have a lot more talent than we do as you go down that roster, but you picked the one spot where there just isn’t a big gap lol

 

[luiginb]

Wahi allegedly forced three of his fellow students to undress and masturbate in front of him while a teen, and then at 22 was investigated for allegedly punching a woman in the face hard enough to break her nose. I don´t put gambling above such a character.

 

[S E P H]

It’s a hot take to suggest that Olise having a better season than Wirtziala this year, after being worse than both last year, is the main difference between our teams…and that Gnabry was ever the kind of talent Wirtz / Musiala / Karl / Olise / Doue / Cherki are.

France have a lot more talent than we do as you go down that roster, but you picked the one spot where there just isn’t a big gap lol

Olise should win the BdO, no? That's better than the Wirtz/Musiala combo.

 

[cgf]

Olise should win the BdO, no? That's better than the Wirtz/Musiala combo.

We'll see how this tourney goes...on both accounts. Olise is phenomenal and had a ridiculous year, but Wirtziala are both phenomenal too, and Kane would probably be the favorite if it went to a Bayern player; pending the WM, 60+ goals is insane.

 

[cgf]

"sane is ragebait in human form"

*sigh* never have I seen a player more accurately described. Leroy makes some runs that nobody else would even think to try, that somehow work for us because he's surrounded by so many great passers and he has the superhuman first touch to take down those unreal passes...but his end product is so consistently s***

 

[qcal1427]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49106661/ivory-coast-elye-wahi-denied-canada-visa-amid-match-fixing-allegations

 

[cgf]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49106661/ivory-coast-elye-wahi-denied-canada-visa-amid-match-fixing-allegations

I can see this galvanizing them in a “everyone’s out to get us” kinda way, and making us more complacent because one of the players we know from the BuLi will be out, to set up the upset.

 

[qcal1427]

I can see this galvanizing them in a “everyone’s out to get us” kinda way, and making us more complacent because one of the players we know from the BuLi will be out, to set up the upset.

If a guy who was absolutely ass in the BuLi being out causes the German team to shift their mentality then I don't really know what to say other than maybe Seph is right

 

[kabidjan18]

I can see this galvanizing them in a “everyone’s out to get us” kinda way, and making us more complacent because one of the players we know from the BuLi will be out, to set up the upset.

I don’t think lack of motivation will be the issue, if there’s an issue it will be a lack of quality or perhaps a lack of cohesion haha.

FIF just said his visa got approved. Messy situation, end of the day I still wanted Bonny to start over him but it is what it is. I’m fine either way.

 

[cgf]

If a guy who was absolutely ass in the BuLi being out causes the German team to shift their mentality then I don't really know what to say other than maybe Seph is right

I don’t think lack of motivation will be the issue, if there’s an issue it will be a lack of quality or perhaps a lack of cohesion haha.

FIF just said his visa got approved. Messy situation, end of the day I still wanted Bonny to start over him but it is what it is. I’m fine either way.

I tend to think you guys are right & am optimistic that this team is locked in to prove they are a top team again…but with how arrogant they have been over the past decade, especially against players they are unfamiliar with, I can’t say I’m certain of that *sigh*

 

[kabidjan18]

I tend to think you guys are right & am optimistic that this team is locked in to prove they are a top team again…but with how arrogant they have been over the past decade, especially against players they are unfamiliar with, I can’t say I’m certain of that *sigh*

If anything. I don't sense this from the players or the coaches, but from uneducated fans, there's this unbridled arrogance about Germany that like "oh we should beat Germany." So many CIV fans were saying "well we probably can't beat Ecuador, they're too good, but how dare you think we might not beat Germany of course we'll beat Germany."

Or even USA fans, when USA lost to Germany in a friendly, USA "pundits" were saying "oh it's not good, we lost to a Germany team that obviously isn't a top nation." I'm like...why is that so obvious? Even if we beat Germany, I think fans from other countries will say "well that's not really an accomplishment because Germany isn't a top nation."

In that sense, I'm extremely annoyed that we drew Germany. Because I don't want to beat Germany, and I know that we'd get no credit if we beat Germany, and we'd get a lot of discredit from uneducated fans from other countries if we lose to Germany.

The only remedy is that I hope that Germany, regardless of what happens in our game, goes on a wrecking ball run after our game and shuts up all the boo-hooers and the naysayers and we can finally move on from this "Germany not a top nation" discourse.

If it sounds like I'm passionate and annoyed about this. I am. I almost don't really care about the result this Saturday. Like, against Ecuador I was all jittery and butterflies. Because I knew we were better and I just wanted us to prove it. Against Germany, I'd be happy with a draw. Let's both show up, have a clean game, and then show the rest of the tournament what we can do.

 

[cgf]

If anything. I don't sense this from the players or the coaches, but from uneducated fans, there's this unbridled arrogance about Germany that like "oh we should beat Germany." So many CIV fans were saying "well we probably can't beat Ecuador, they're too good, but how dare you think we might not beat Germany of course we'll beat Germany."

Or even USA fans, when USA lost to Germany in a friendly, USA "pundits" were saying "oh it's not good, we lost to a Germany team that obviously isn't a top nation." I'm like...why is that so obvious? Even if we beat Germany, I think fans from other countries will say "well that's not really an accomplishment because Germany isn't a top nation."

In that sense, I'm extremely annoyed that we drew Germany. Because I don't want to beat Germany, and I know that we'd get no credit if we beat Germany, and we'd get a lot of discredit from uneducated fans from other countries if we lose to Germany.

The only remedy is that I hope that Germany, regardless of what happens in our game, goes on a wrecking ball run after our game and shuts up all the boo-hooers and the naysayers and we can finally move on from this "Germany not a top nation" discourse.

If it sounds like I'm passionate and annoyed about this. I am. I almost don't really care about the result this Saturday. Like, against Ecuador I was all jittery and butterflies. Because I knew we were better and I just wanted us to prove it. Against Germany, I'd be happy with a draw. Let's both show up, have a clean game, and then show the rest of the tournament what we can do.

The team is often underestimated for silly reasons, but It’s not about what the players say, it’s about how they play. The energy is just completely different when they face top teams than it is against teams who have less raw talent. Which isn’t a uniquely German problem, but has burned us at recent WMs.

But yeah, people will be surprised when Ecuador finishes a distant third in this group and it will be delicious watching them justify in retrospect how wrong they were about both our teams.