Group E · Matchday 1
GermanyvsCuraçao
2026-06-14·12:00 localPredictions finalised
The forecast
Match-outcome probability
- Germany win83.5%
- Draw13.1%
- Curaçao win3.4%
A clash of identities: Germany's possession-dominant approach meets Curaçao's balanced style in a fixture the model gives to Germany at 88%.
Why the model says this
Favoring Germany
- ·Germany holds a substantial Elo advantage of 487 points over Curaçao.
- ·Germany is ranked 9th in FIFA rankings, significantly higher than Curaçao at 82nd.
- ·The model's expected goals (xG) project Germany to score 3.92 goals compared to Curaçao's 0.46 xG.
- ·Germany enters the match with a perfect record of six wins in their last six fixtures.
Favoring Curaçao
- ·Curaçao has recorded two clean sheets in their last six matches, including a 0-0 draw and a 2-0 victory.
- ·Curaçao achieved a 7-0 victory in a recent fixture, demonstrating their capacity for high-scoring performances against certain opposition.
What the model can't fully price
- ·The model does not account for the impact of 4 players carrying fitness doubts across both squads, including 1 projected starter, as its lineup channel currently contributes zero.
Form check
Germany
SteadyGermany arrives in excellent form, having won all six of their most recent matches, including high-scoring victories in friendlies and clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers. This consistent performance indicates strong momentum.
6 wins in 6 matches
Curaçao
DecliningCuraçao's recent form has been inconsistent, with two losses in their last two FIFA Series matches, following a draw and a significant 7-0 win in World Cup qualification. Their defensive record has been mixed, with two clean sheets but also a 5-1 defeat.
2 losses in their last 2 matches
Analysis
How it plays out
Germany will dominate the ball. Whether Curaçao can stay organised through long spells without it determines if Germany's possession converts to chances. Germany will expect to hold 64% possession. Curaçao need their shape to stay compact without the ball and be clinical when they win it back.
What decides it
Germany's possession game (64% avg) requires patience in the final third and quick ball recovery when they lose it. The scoring threat is evenly split: Niclas Füllkrug (6.5%) and Jürgen Locadia (8.8%).
Off the pitch
Germany travel 8,484km, 3x Curaçao's journey. Second-half fatigue is a real factor at that differential.
The angle
The model gives Curaçao just 2.8% to win. Every World Cup produces group-stage upsets; the question is whether this fixture is one of them.
▸Goals & scorelines
Likeliest score 3–0 (12.7%) · xG 3.8 - 0.5
Expected goals
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 3–012.7%
- 4–012.2%
- 2–09.8%
- 5–09.4%
- 6–06.1%
From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.
Most likely half-time scorelines
- 1–021.8%
- 2–021.4%
- 3–013.8%
- 0–011.8%
- 4–06.7%
Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.
Goal totals
- More than 0.5 goals98.5%
- More than 1.5 goals93.1%
- More than 2.5 goals80.6%
- More than 3.5 goals62.7%
- More than 4.5 goals43.4%
- More than 5.5 goals26.7%
- Both teams score36.7%
Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.
Event-typed probabilities
- Germany clean sheetOpposing team scores zero62.6%
- Curaçao clean sheetOpposing team scores zero2.1%
Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.
Win-margin probability
- Germany by 4+45.2%
- Germany by 3+64.7%
- Germany by 2+82.0%
- Germany by 1+93.2%
- Draw5.3%
- Curaçao by 1+1.5%
- Curaçao by 2+0.3%
- Curaçao by 3+<0.1%
- Curaçao by 4+0.0%
Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.
▸How the match unfolds
Over 2.5 goals 80.6% · BTTS 36.7%
Game state through the match
- Germany ahead93.3%
- Level5.0%
- Curaçao ahead1.7%
Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.
When the first goal arrives
- 0–1551.4%
- 15–3025.0%
- 30–4512.1%
- 45–605.9%
- 60–752.9%
- 75–901.4%
- No goal1.3%
Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.
Half-time / full-time grid
| HT ↓ / FT → | HGermany win | DDraw | ACuraçao win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HGermany ahead | 77.6% | 1.0% | 0.1% |
| DLevel | 14.1% | 3.1% | 0.7% |
| ACuraçao ahead | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.
Comeback probability
- Germany trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT2.6%
- Curaçao trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT1.1%
Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.
Cards
- Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
- Total yellows over 2.567.0%
- Total yellows over 3.545.3%
- Total yellows over 4.526.5%
- Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%
Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.
▸Teams & players
Top scorer: Locadia (8.8%)
Match detail
Germany
Model-rated key players: Niclas Füllkrug (FW) — P(scores) 6.5%; Leroy Sané (FW) — P(scores) 4.4%; Kai Havertz (FW) — P(scores) 4.3%.
Germany under Julian Nagelsmann play a possession dominant game, holding 64% of the ball — among the highest in the tournament field. Their likely shape is a 4-2-3-1. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 17.8) and build patiently through midfield with 8.6 passes per attacking sequence. They generate a high volume of shots (17.4 per 90).
To succeed, Germany must control tempo and territory in midfield — their possession-dominant approach depends on dictating the rhythm of each match. Managing the fitness of Florian Wirtz could prove decisive — their availability transforms the team's ceiling.
Curaçao
Model-rated key players: Jürgen Locadia (FW) — P(scores) 8.8%; Brandley Kuwas (FW) — P(scores) 3.5%; Jearl Margaritha (FW) — P(scores) 3.5%.
Limited recent tournament data is available for Curaçao's tactical profile. Early indicators suggest a balanced approach.
Curaçao will need to leverage their strengths while managing the physical demands of a tournament spread across three host countries. With Fred Rutten appointed relatively recently (161 days before kickoff), building tactical cohesion in limited preparation time is the immediate challenge.
Germany's predicted XI averages 2,067 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (moderate load).
Germany coverage: 88.0% (10/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · Curaçao: 25.0% (3/11).
Germany historically converts 14.8% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.57 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Combined, the model expects 0.57 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.
- P(Germany scores set-piece goal) 43.5%
- P(set-piece goal in match) 43.5%
Germany: Joshua Kimmich on corners (62 corners) (per fbref 2022 23) · Curaçao: Juninho Bacuna on corners (16 corners) (per fbref 2018 19)
If a penalty is awarded to Germany, the model gives 78.2% conversion, 75.0% for Curaçao.
Germany primary PK: Niclas Füllkrug (3/3 in 2022-23, per fbref 2022 23) · Curaçao primary PK: Jürgen Locadia (1/1 in 2021-22, per fbref 2018 19).
Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.
Tactical forecast
- PPDA
- 17.8
- Possession
- 64%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 4.4
- Long balls/90
- 28
- Set-piece xG
- 15%
Partial coverage from FotMob match stats (recent qualifiers and friendlies): possession and shot volume only. Press and build-up metrics are not available for this side.
- PPDA
- —
- Possession
- 51%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- —
- Long balls/90
- —
- Set-piece xG
- —
Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.
Squad depth
Most irreplaceable starters
Germany
- Deniz UndavStrikerCover: Maximilian Beier · 0.680.25gap
- Leroy SanéWingerCover: Jamie Leweling · 0.730.18gap
- Kai HavertzStrikerCover: Maximilian Beier · 0.680.17gap
Curaçao
- Godfried RoemeratoeDefensive midfieldCover: Kevin Felida · 0.050.14gap
- Eloy RoomGoalkeeperCover: Trevor Doornbusch · 0.060.12gap
Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Match conditions
- AltitudeNear sea level13 m
- Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window28.4 °C
- Avg humidity78%
- Heat stressShade WBGT ~31.8 °CHigh heat stress
- Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf
Indoor artificial-turf stadium laying a temporary natural-grass pitch for the tournament.
Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Afternoon kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.
Top scorers · P(scores in this match)
- Niclas FüllkrugPKFW6.5%
- Leroy SanéFW4.4%
- Kai HavertzFW4.3%
- Jürgen LocadiaPKFW8.8%
- Brandley KuwasFW3.5%
- Jearl MargarithaFW3.5%
Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.
Recent match form
Last match player ratings
Germany
vs Paraguay · avg 5.5
Worked well: Their persistence led to an equalizer, and they generated several dangerous opportunities from crosses and corners.
Struggled: They struggled to convert their attacking pressure into clear goals, missing several chances and having one disallowed. A crucial penalty miss proved costly.
Curaçao
vs Ivory Coast · avg 5.5
Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →
Video analysis: player performance
Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.
9Kai Havertz49'–90'Scored two goals, including a penalty, and was a constant threat in attack throughout the match.
2goals4shots4on target▼
Scored two goals, including a penalty, and was a constant threat in attack throughout the match.
Match timeline
8Felix Nmecha6'–63'Scored an early goal and earned a penalty, significantly contributing to Germany's attack.
1goals2shots1fouls won▼
Scored an early goal and earned a penalty, significantly contributing to Germany's attack.
Match timeline
8Jamal Musiala26'–46'Scored a sensational goal and consistently troubled the opposition defense with his dribbling and vision.
1goals1shots1on target1fouls won▼
Scored a sensational goal and consistently troubled the opposition defense with his dribbling and vision.
Match timeline
8Nico Schlotterbeck27'–37'Scored a vital header to regain Germany's lead, showcasing his aerial ability.
1goals2shots2on target▼
Scored a vital header to regain Germany's lead, showcasing his aerial ability.
Match timeline
8Nathaniel Brown59'–67'Scored a goal and consistently provided an attacking threat from the left flank.
1goals1shots1on target▼
Scored a goal and consistently provided an attacking threat from the left flank.
Match timeline
8Denis Undav63'–90'Came on as a substitute and quickly scored a goal, maintaining his impressive scoring run.
1goals4shots4on target▼
Came on as a substitute and quickly scored a goal, maintaining his impressive scoring run.
Match timeline
6Leroy Sané10'–62'Was active in attack with several shots but did not directly contribute to a goal.
4shots▼
Was active in attack with several shots but did not directly contribute to a goal.
Match timeline
6Florian Wirtz14'–66'Showed attacking intent and drew a foul but lacked a direct goal contribution.
1shots1fouls won▼
Showed attacking intent and drew a foul but lacked a direct goal contribution.
Match timeline
6Leon Goretzka28'–95'Had a couple of shots but did not make a decisive impact on the game.
2shots1on target▼
Had a couple of shots but did not make a decisive impact on the game.
Match timeline
6Aleksandar Pavlović53'–53'Had one shot blocked but otherwise had no significant impact.
1shots▼
Had one shot blocked but otherwise had no significant impact.
Match timeline
6Joshua Kimmich72'–72'Played for a significant portion of the match without any notable contributions.
▼
Played for a significant portion of the match without any notable contributions.
Match timeline
6Waldemar Anton82'–82'Came on as a late substitute and had no significant actions.
▼
Came on as a late substitute and had no significant actions.
Match timeline
6Manuel Neuer61'–61'Made one save but was otherwise not heavily tested in a dominant German performance.
1saves▼
Made one save but was otherwise not heavily tested in a dominant German performance.
Match timeline
5Jonathan Tah60'–82'Conceded a foul leading to a free kick for the opposition before being substituted.
1fouls▼
Conceded a foul leading to a free kick for the opposition before being substituted.
Match timeline
8Livano Comenencia21'–21'Scored a historic goal for Curaçao, marking a significant moment for his nation.
1goals▼
Scored a historic goal for Curaçao, marking a significant moment for his nation.
Match timeline
6Juninho Bacuna19'–19'Had one shot that went wide but did not otherwise impact the game.
1shots▼
Had one shot that went wide but did not otherwise impact the game.
Match timeline
6Eloy Room27'–90'Despite conceding seven goals, he made numerous crucial saves that prevented an even larger deficit for his team.
13saves▼
Despite conceding seven goals, he made numerous crucial saves that prevented an even larger deficit for his team.
Match timeline
6Jürgen Locadia60'–64'Drew a foul for his team before being substituted in the second half.
1fouls won▼
Drew a foul for his team before being substituted in the second half.
Match timeline
6Leandro Bacuna61'–61'Had a free kick saved but otherwise had no significant impact.
1shots1on target▼
Had a free kick saved but otherwise had no significant impact.
Match timeline
6Jearl Margaritha64'–64'Came on as a substitute but had no significant impact on the match.
▼
Came on as a substitute but had no significant impact on the match.
Match timeline
6Tahith Chong82'–82'Played for most of the match without any notable contributions.
▼
Played for most of the match without any notable contributions.
Match timeline
6Gervane Kastaneer82'–82'Came on as a late substitute and had no significant actions.
▼
Came on as a late substitute and had no significant actions.
Match timeline
Match observations
- Germany secured a dominant victory over Curaçao in a high-scoring encounter. The match saw Germany's attacking quality shine through, with multiple players contributing to the goal tally.
- Curaçao, despite being significant underdogs, managed to score a historic goal, briefly levelling the score and igniting celebrations among their fans. Their goalkeeper, Eloy Room, was particularly busy, making several important stops.
- Germany maintained control for large portions of the match, especially in the second half, creating numerous opportunities and demonstrating their clinical finishing. The atmosphere in the stadium was lively, with both sets of supporters passionately backing their teams.
▸Under the hood
Model-by-model comparison
Germany vs Curaçao
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 82.5% | 17.5% | 0.0% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 93.5% | 5.1% | 1.4% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 91.9% | 6.1% | 2.0% |
| Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination | — | 99.8% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration | — | 87.7% | 11.9% | 0.4% |
How each model works
- Elo
- Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
- Dixon-Coles
- A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
- Hierarchical Poisson
- A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
- Bayesian stacking
- Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
- Ensemble (published)
- Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.
Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology
Probability decomposition (transparency surface)
- Baseline ensemble — P(Germany win)83.5%
- + Lineup contribution0.0pp
- + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
- Published P(Germany win)83.5%
Decomposition of the published P(Germany win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.
For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.
Head-to-head history
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score | Result | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 2026 | FIFA World Cup | NHouston | 7–1 | W | — |
Germany vs Curaçao, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Germany's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).
Latest news & match context
No recent headlines for Germany or Curaçao.
- Stage:
- Group E · Matchday 1
- Date:
- 14 Jun
Germany and Curaçao both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.
Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.
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