{"id":36827,"date":"2026-06-15T14:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/36827\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:45:41","slug":"world-cup-predictions-germany-vs-curacao-netherlands-vs-japan-and-rest-of-matchday-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/36827\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup predictions: Germany vs Curacao, Netherlands vs Japan and rest of matchday 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Athletic\u2019s daily World Cup Predictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article gives you the lowdown on all today\u2019s games, but with the bonus of some friendly competition\u2026<\/p>\n

Throughout the tournament, we will have two of The Athletic\u2019s writers (either Andy Jones or Elias Burke \u2014 with help from our experts from each of the 48 competing countries) pitting our soccer knowledge against a different\u00a0subscriber each day and \u201cAlgo\u201d, the shiny new algorithm from our data team, which is making its computerised debut this summer.<\/p>\n

Oh, and also a dog called Stanley and a six-year-old boy named Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season\u2019s Premier League predictions).<\/p>\n

Our guest subscriber today is Elizabeth from the United States, who supports Brazil and Newcastle United. Good luck, Elizabeth!<\/p>\n

If you would like to apply to be our guest subscriber for a day during this tournament, please follow the instructions in the article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What happened on matchday three?<\/p>\n

Qatar\u2019s 94th-minute equaliser provided us with the first real surprise of the tournament<\/a> as Miro Muheim\u2019s late own goal saw Switzerland stumble in a 1-1 draw.<\/p>\n

Breel Embolo had given Switzerland a 17th-minute lead from the penalty spot (after some issues over FIFA\u2019s offside technology<\/a>), but a combination of wasteful finishing (they registered an expected goals<\/a> total of 3.2) and an inspired performance from Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada left them vulnerable to a sucker punch.<\/p>\n

Among our predictors, only Stanley the dog correctly went for a draw while the rest of us \u2014 well, the humans anyway \u2014 had our hands on our heads.<\/p>\n

In the second game, Ismael Saibari gave Morocco a deserved lead after 11 minutes when he coolly beat Brazil \u2018keeper Alisson. The South Americans answered through Vinicius Junior, who produced a bit of magic as he bent an effort into the far corner after a slaloming run.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Vinicius Jr celebrates his goal against Morocco (Al Bello\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It was a pulsating contest, with Morocco in control for large periods (and 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, what a talent).<\/p>\n

Stanley extended his streak, and our Athletic subscriber Leo also got back in the win column as they predicted the draw.<\/p>\n

This Athletic expert (Andy) had semi-retired from making football predictions before this World Cup, and midway through matchday three, flashbacks to why could not be avoided.<\/p>\n

A Scotland victory over Haiti provided us, youngster Wilfred and the Algo with our first correct prediction of the day, while the subscribers continued to cement their spot at the top of the league table. Unfortunately for Stanley, he went for one underdog too many.<\/p>\n

Results from June 13, 2026<\/p>\n

John McGinn\u2019s deflected effort midway through the first half was enough to seal Scotland\u2019s first World Cup victory since 1990. They had to work hard for it, with Haiti carrying a threat throughout the game. We nearly experienced Qatar deja vu when Frantzdy Pierrot headed a great chance wide in the closing stages.<\/p>\n

It was a crash back down to earth for all the predictors, though, in the final fixture of the matchday as Australia secured a surprise 2-0 victory over Turkey<\/a>. Only Wilfred had given them a chance, with the rest of us choosing everyone\u2019s favourite dark horse at any major tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite having terrific technical playmakers, a lack of goalscoring prowess cost Turkey as they had 72 per cent possession, but failed to convert any of their 30 shots on goal.<\/p>\n

Australia were happy to be patient and wait for their opportunity that came midway through the first half when 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda finished smartly at the near post. Connor Metcalfe then sealed the points with a low, sweetly struck drive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Nestory Irankunda scored for Australia in their 2-0 win (Stu Forster\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It was a relatively tough day all round with only the readers and Stanley predicting two of the four outcomes. It means the subscribers have taken an early lead, with five correct predictions.<\/p>\n

\tOverall
accuracyCorrect
picksBest
streakReader picks63%52Stanley the dog50%42The algorithm50%42TA experts38%32Wilfred (age 6)38%32 <\/p>\n

\t\tHow do the predictions work?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty simple: we will give you some background on each game, the players to watch and key facts about the two teams. Then we will predict the match\u2019s outcome: either a WIN for one of the two countries, or a DRAW.<\/p>\n

We will maintain a leaderboard of how everyone does with their predictions (ranked by the percentage that prove correct) but we\u2019ll also keep a record of \u201cstreaks\u201d \u2014 the number of calls everyone gets right in a row. These streaks also form a crucial part of The Athletic\u2019s interactive Soccer Pick\u2019Ems feature<\/a>, allowing you to make your own picks every round as well.<\/p>\n

So come along and get involved, and check back each day to see how we are getting on in the leaderboard, and probably more importantly, whether you, the subscribers, or Stanley or Wilfred are beating us.<\/p>\n

Or, worst of all, whether \u2018Algo\u2019\u00a0can prove data and statistics know all when it comes to predicting.<\/p>\n

Good luck, and enjoy!<\/p>\n

Why not try The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0World Cup Tracker<\/a>, where you can find a forecast projecting the likelihood that each team will progress through each stage of the tournament, along with a bracket<\/a>\u00a0projecting the most likely round of 32 matchups,\u00a0current standings<\/a>, and a bunch of other neat forecasts and scenarios.<\/p>\n

Predictions for Matchday 4Germany vs Curacao, Group E, kick-off 1pm ET, 6pm BST<\/p>\n

Where to watch: FOX (U.S.) ITV (UK)<\/p>\n

Streak Rating Risk: 1\/5. With all respect to Curacao, they should be no match for Germany.<\/p>\n

Watch Rating: 2\/5. There could be a lot of goals in Houston today, but this also could be a very uneven contest \u2014 unless Curacao can cause one of the World Cup\u2019s biggest ever shocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert says: \u201cGermany are one of the most successful teams in World Cup history (winning it four times, being runners-up on four other occasions and coming third on four more) but have not made it past the initial group stage in the past two tournaments. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be keen to avoid the same fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, Germany have two of the world game\u2019s best playmakers, and their system is based on getting the ball to them quickly and letting them pull the attacking strings. For differing reasons, neither of them is coming off an exceptional club campaign, but combining those two with Kai Havertz in a front three should be more than enough for the Germans to begin their tournament with three points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCuracao, a tiny island in the Caribbean of around 185,000 people, will become the smallest nation ever to compete at a World Cup when this match kicks off. They are managed by the hugely experienced Dick Advocaat, who returned to the role last month after originally stepping down in February<\/a> to take care of his ill daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were unbeaten over 10 games during their Concacaf qualification campaign, with a squad filled with Dutch-raised talent playing possession-based football. How that approach works against elite opposition will likely determine how successful they are, and a 4-1 pre-tournament defeat against fellow qualifiers Scotland understandably raised concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert: GERMANY WIN<\/p>\n

Guest subscriber Elizabeth: GERMANY WIN<\/p>\n

Six-year-old Wilfred: GERMANY WIN<\/p>\n

Stanley the dog: CURACAO WIN<\/p>\n

Algo: GERMANY WIN<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Surely there won\u2019t be an upset for Julian Nagelsmann and company on Sunday? (Tom Weller\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Netherlands vs Japan, Group F, kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BST<\/p>\n

Where to watch: FOX (U.S.) ITV (UK)<\/p>\n

Streak Rating Risk: 5\/5. The Netherlands will go into this game as the favourites but have been far from convincing in recent games and Japan are capable of causing them plenty of problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch Rating: 5\/5. This could be a really exciting affair between two sides who want to play attacking football. It could be one of the best matches of the whole group stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert says: \u201cExpectations are high for Ronald Koeman and his Netherlands players, even if their performances in recent months have not been of the expected standards. Led by captain Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch squad is packed with quality, even with a couple of key players, in Xavi Simons and Matthijs de Ligt, missing through injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are defensively solid, but can be a bit too reliant on Memphis Depay for goals, and they will need Cody Gakpo to put a very poor club season with Liverpool behind him and recapture the form he displayed in helping his country reach the 2024 European Championship\u2019s semi-finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the late withdrawal of midfielder and captain Wataru Endo due to injury and the absence of Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kauro Mitoma for the same reason, one of the strengths of Japan\u2019s squad is their depth. Takefuso Kubo, nicknamed the Japanese Messi, will carry the creative burden, and they have the Dutch Eredivisie\u2019s top scorer last season Ayase Ueda and Scottish champions Celtic\u2019s Daizen Maeda to carry the goal threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver his eight-year tenure, coach Hajime Moriyasu has built a vibrant, tactically flexible side capable of beating elite sides and not just competing with them. Japan defeated Spain and Germany in the 2022 World Cup finals\u2019 group stage and have wins against Brazil and England in friendlies over the past eight months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t \"Photo <\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert: DRAW\u00a0<\/p>\n

Guest subscriber Elizabeth: JAPAN WIN<\/p>\n

Six-year-old Wilfred: JAPAN WIN<\/p>\n

Stanley the dog: JAPAN WIN<\/p>\n

Algo: NETHERLANDS WIN<\/p>\n

Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, Group E, kick-off 7pm ET, 12am (midnight) BST<\/p>\n

Where to watch: FS1 (U.S.) BBC (UK)<\/p>\n

Streak Rating Risk: 4\/5. All three results feel like they\u2019re on the table for this game in Philadelphia. The defensive solidity of both sides points to a low-scoring affair that could end all square or be decided by a single goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch Rating: 2\/5. This might turn out to be a defensive stalemate, with a draw not a bad result for either team to kick off their campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert says: \u201cExpectations are high for Ivory Coast with their football federation president Yacine Idriss Diallo wanting a run to the quarter-finals, which is the same stage they got to in last season\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did not concede a single goal in the 10 qualification games, and that defensive solidity is complemented by experienced forward Nicolas Pepe and exciting wide talent including Manchester United\u2019s Amad and RB Leipzig\u2019s Yan Diomande, although they do lack a goalscoring focal point.<\/p>\n

\t \"Photo <\/p>\n

\u201cEcuador\u2019s defensive record is also impressive as they conceded just five goals in 18 South American qualifying games, en route to finishing above Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in second place \u2014 and that was after starting their campaign on minus-three points as punishment for using an ineligible player in a previous competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem they have is their top talent is heavily weighted to the defensive end of the pitch, with Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Joel Ordonez shielded from midfield by the excellent Moises Caicedo. Enner Valencia, who played in the 2014 World Cup, is still going strong at 36 and provides their most likely goal threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert: DRAW<\/p>\n

Guest subscriber Elizabeth: ECUADOR WIN<\/p>\n

Six-year-old Wilfred: ECUADOR WIN<\/p>\n

Stanley the dog: IVORY COAST WIN<\/p>\n

Algo: IVORY COAST WIN<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Chelsea\u2019s Moises Caicedo is a star for Ecuador (Patrick Smith\/FIFA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Sweden vs Tunisia, Group F, kick-off 10pm ET, 3am BST<\/p>\n

Where to watch: FS1 (U.S.) ITV (UK)<\/p>\n

Streak Rating Risk: 4\/5. Another game where you don\u2019t quite know what to expect from either side. Based purely on the talent on the pitch, Sweden should win in the Mexican city of Monterrey, but they\u2019ve shown in the recent past that they are a risk.<\/p>\n

Watch Rating: 3\/5. A tip of the cap to anyone staying awake in the UK to watch this one. Given the strength of a group also featuring the Netherlands and Japan, this is a match both these sides probably need to win, which could make it a more open affair.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert says: \u201cIt is pretty incredible that Sweden managed to qualify for this tournament. They did not win a group game during qualification but earned a place in the UEFA play-offs in March because of their successful finish in the third tier of the 2024-25 Nations League. They then took full advantage of that good fortune, mind, beating Ukraine 3-1 and Poland 3-2 to secure their place.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraham Potter took over from the sacked Jon Dahl Tomasson last October and led them to that play-offs success. Their problems are not all sorted though, which was shown in a 3-1 defeat to neighbours and fellow qualifiers Norway in the run-up to the tournament. They have started to find the back of the net, scoring nine goals in the past four games. Strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres experienced very different seasons at club level with Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, but hold the keys to Sweden\u2019s success, as the side are without the very influential Dejan Kulusevski in midfield because of injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cTunisia\u2019s build-up to the tournament has been far from ideal as they suffered two warm-up defeats, losing 1-0 to 10-man Austria before being hammered 5-0 by Belgium in a match where they were the side who had a player sent off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSabri Lamouchi only took over after Tunisia exited the Africa Cup of Nations in the round of 16 at the start of the year, so has only been in charge of four matches (in which they have scored just once). He has put his faith in youth and built on the defensive solidity that defined their qualification \u2014 Tunisia did not concede a goal in the 10 matches, winning nine and drawing the other. Midfielder Hannibal is a key player, and had a better second half of the season with relegation-bound Premier League side Burnley until injury disrupted it in March, but you question where the goals are going to come from.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletic Expert: SWEDEN WIN<\/p>\n

Guest subscriber Elizabeth: SWEDEN WIN<\/p>\n

Six-year-old Wilfred: SWEDEN WIN<\/p>\n

Stanley the dog: SWEDEN WIN<\/p>\n

Algo: SWEDEN WIN<\/p>\n

Our picks for June 14, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Athletic\u2019s daily World Cup Predictions. This article gives you the lowdown on all today\u2019s games,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36828,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5983,303,418,231,937,33173,387,2042,33171,33169,33172,500,825,8956,823,27192,501,33174,172,60,5,209,33170,173,253,2694,822,237,3374,33168,8692,153,27191,154,499,3496,552,174,1488,28241,236,27190,710,4538,21429,156,1489,157,32752,788,158,26486,2043],"class_list":["post-36827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-germany","tag-algeria","tag-argentina","tag-australia","tag-austria","tag-belgium","tag-bosnia-herzegovina","tag-brazil","tag-canada","tag-cape-verde","tag-colombia","tag-congo-dr","tag-croatia","tag-curacao","tag-czech-republic","tag-ecuador","tag-egypt","tag-england","tag-fantasy-premier-league","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-france","tag-germany","tag-ghana","tag-haiti","tag-international-football","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-ivory-coast","tag-japan","tag-jordan","tag-mexico-mens-national-team","tag-morocco","tag-netherlands","tag-new-zealand","tag-norway","tag-panama","tag-paraguay","tag-portugal","tag-premier-league","tag-qatar","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-scotland","tag-senegal","tag-soccer","tag-south-africa","tag-south-korea","tag-spain","tag-sweden","tag-switzerland","tag-tunisia","tag-turkey","tag-uruguay","tag-us-mens-national-team","tag-uzbekistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}