Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, we go through every group in the expanded 48-country field and examine the teams, highlight the most recent odds, and make predictions.
To no one’s surprise, Germany is the big favorite to come out of Group E, despite its lack of recent World Cup success. But Ecuador and Ivory Coast are no pushovers, both with the talent and defensive capabilities to make life difficult for the Germans. Curacao, in its first World Cup, will hope to steal a point or two as massive underdogs.
Germany is one of the most successful teams in World Cup history, winning the tournament four times. But it’s been a long time since Germany lived up to its reputation. Back-to-back exits at the group stage at the last two World Cups should have Germany highly motivated to succeed in 2026. Group E won’t be a walk in the park, but it’s one of the easier groups. Germany showed its quality in the qualification stage, winning five of six games and scoring 16 goals.
At 38 years old, Julian Nagelsmann is one of the tournament’s least experienced managers. But he’s melded Germany’s experienced players and young talent well. Attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala pulls the strings in attack, with strong forward options in Nick Woltemade, Kai Havertz, and Florian Wirtz. This might not be the star-laden German teams of the past, but they are stacked with technical talent, even if they lack a top-tier goal scorer. If Germany impresses in the group stage, they could become a trendy pick to win it all.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| -325 | -10000 | +1400 |
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BetMGM, one of the top World Cup betting sites, has Ecuador as the biggest threat to Germany in Group E, especially because of its strong defense that could really highlight Germany’s lack of a true goal scorer. The South American team marched through the CONMEBOL qualification process, finishing only behind Argentina while also dealing with a three-point penalty. Sebastián Beccacece’s outfit also conceded by far the fewest goals, with just five.
Ecuador’s defense is anchored by the likes of Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo is the key to everything for Ecuador, able to both control the flow of the game with elite disruption skills while also doing all the hard defensive work to protect the back four. Ecuador will need its defense to play up to expectations, as goals will be hard to come by. The team scored just 14 times in qualifying, and all-time leading goalscorer Enner Valencia is closing in on 37 years old.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| +350 | -1600 | +6600 |
Ivory Coast is heading back to the World Cup after last appearing in 2014, and its main goal will be to advance from the group stage for the first time. Emerse Faé’s revitalized squad will be feeling confident after an AFCON win to begin 2024 and the qualifying campaign in which it won 8 of 10 games and didn’t concede a single goal.
Devastating speed on the wings and counterattacks will fuel Ivory Coast’s attacks. The team boasts two young, exciting talents in Man United’s Amad Diallo and RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande. Their creativity and versatility in transition will be key. While the golden generation of the Ivory Coast is gone, the 2026 World Cup could be the start of a new era for the nation.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| +700 | -800 | +20000 |
One of the nations making its World Cup debut in 2026 following a shockingly dominant qualifying campaign, Curacao went undefeated, winning seven games and drawing three to lock down its World Cup place. While it benefited from all three co-hosts of the tournament sitting out, it’s still a remarkable achievement for a country of around just 185,000.
Furthermore, the team has dealt with some upheaval in its preparations for the World Cup, though. Manager Dick Advocaat stepped down in February for personal reasons, with Fred Rutten taking over. But Rutten resigned in May, and now Advocaat is back to lead the team through the tournament. Hopefully, his return will boost the outfit, which is coming off two poor friendly losses to China and Australia.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| +20000 | +800 | +250000 |
There aren’t many people picking Germany to win it all, but they’re a sure bet to come out of Group E in first. Germany lacks overall talent. But we like their forward talent, and even if they might not be able to keep pace with teams like Spain and France, it should be enough to see off the rest of Group E.
While the top of Group E will go as expected, we see Ivory Coast actually beating out Ecuador to second place. Ivory Coast’s speed and defensive capabilities could be perfect for the conditions of the tournament, while Ecuador could be walking a tightrope with its inability to create chances. The South American side should still make it through, though.
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Odds are courtesy of BetMGM and accurate at the time of writing.
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