By OkayGoal 
Germany delivered a ruthless performance in their 2026 World Cup opener, after thrashing tournament debutants Curaçao 7-1 in Houston.
Despite the brief shock of a Curaçao equaliser, the Germans showed no mercy to tear their opponents apart.
It’s only the fifth time this century that a team has scored seven or more goals in a World Cup game, with Germany responsible for three of those occasions.
Germany hit 7+ goals in a World Cup game for the 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 time this century 🎆🇩🇪
No other nation has done so more than once 👏 pic.twitter.com/v6IIv4CMUj
— LiveScore (@livescore) June 14, 2026
World Cup teams to score 7+ goals this century
Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia (2002)
Germany opened their 2002 World Cup campaign with an eight-goal humiliation of Saudi Arabia.
Rudi Voeller’s men were four up at half-time and ended the contest with eight, inspired by a hat-trick from Miroslav Klose. On his World Cup debut, the forward became only the second player to score a hat-trick of headers in a World Cup game. His treble were the first three goals of what would become a record-breaking 16 career goals at the World Cup.
Portugal 7-0 North Korea (2010)
It’s astonishing to think that a prime Cristiano Ronaldo once went two years without an international goal. Fortunately for international football’s record goalscorer, North Korea were generous opponents to help him end that wait.
Ronaldo ended a barren run with the seventh, as Portugal powered past their hapless opponents in 2010. North Korea had started brightly and trailed only 1-0 at half-time, but Portugal stepped on the gas after the break to run out emphatic winners.
Germany 7-1 v Brazil (2014)
Arguably, the most shocking result in World Cup history.
Brazil headed into their 2014 World Cup semi-final with big dreams as the record five-time winners sought another success, this time on home soil. An expectant crowd in Belo Horizonte were soon in disbelief as Germany ran riot across a remarkable opening period.
A horror show from the home side was met by ruthless German efficiency, as Germany raced into a 5-0 lead inside 29 unforgettable minutes.
The result equalled Brazil’s heaviest ever defeat, but this was undoubtedly their darkest ever day. A semi-final home humiliation in front of the watching world.
Spain 7-0 Costa Rica (2022)
Spain strolled to a seven-goal win over Costa Rica during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. La Roja made light work of their Central American opponents, with Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres all on target before half-time.
A second from Torres and another from Gavi made it five, before late goals from Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata put the gloss on a big win.
Germany 7-1 Curaçao (2026)
Curaçao were keen to enjoy their moment as World Cup debutants, and a shock equaliser briefly sparked hope of an upset result. Germany, however, had other ideas.
From the moment that Nico Schlotterbeck put Germany back in front, it was wave after wave of German attacks. Kai Havertz helped himself to a double, as did Felix Nmecha, while Deniz Undav scored one and created two more off the bench. In truth, it could have been more.
Read – World Cup Day 4: Germany thrash Curacao, Five-star Sweden
See more – The biggest wins in FIFA World Cup history