Men's World Cup

Curacao vs Ivory Coast World Cup prediction, picks, analysis, odds

Updated June 25, 2026, 12:53 p.m. ET

Editor's note:Follow along for live World Cup updates all day

The Group E picture is not what anyone expected heading into the final matchday, as Curacao meet the Ivory Coast.

For one, Curacao has a point. The national team from the smallest country ever to qualify was expected to be a doormat, but it turned out they were concealing a trap door. After scoring in a 7-1 loss to Germany, goalkeeper Eloy Room flustered Ecuador, keeping a clean sheet in Kansas City and earning a point in a scoreless draw. Curacao had scoring chances as well, with Juninho Bacuna pulling the strings in attack, but no goal to come. Still, Curacao has an outside chance at moving on.

The Ivory Coast's hopes are much better, having beaten Ecuador on a late goal to open the tournament and hanging tough with Germany and leading much of the game in a 2-1 defeat. Right back Wilfried Singo left that match with a knock, and while the Ivorian federation said June 23 that initial tests were reassuring, it still would be a surprise to see him start in this one with Gula Doue a likely replacement.

After a great day against Germany, Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande will be ready for this one, hoping to orchestrate a move that finally beats Room and opens the floodgates. The longer its scoreless, the more chance Curacao will have.

The 2026 World Cup is the largest ever, and USA TODAY is going all in with reporters on the ground in all 16 host cities across three countries to cover 48 teams vying for the trophy. Get our World Cup: Extra Time newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

Curacao vs Ivory Coast World Cup predictions

Seth Vertelney: Curacao 0-3 Ivory Coast

Everything went right for Curacao in its draw with Ecuador, but Ivory Coast won't let it off the hook so easily. This one could look more like the Germany game for the Concacaf side.

Jon Arnold: Curacao 0-4 Ivory Coast

While Ecuador struggled to finish and Curacao got a heroic performance from Eloy Room, it's too much to expect lightning to strike twice in the same place.

Victoria Hernandez: Curacao 1 -1 Ivory Coast

This is honestly one of the hardest matches to predict yet. Curacao has been an incredible surprise in its World Cup debut. But Ivory Coast has impressed too... So let's just say they draw...

World Cup picks, predictions and odds for June 25

How to watch Curacao vs Ivory Coast on June 25

Matchup: Curacao vs Ivory Coast
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time: 4:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX One App
Spanish Broadcast: Telemundo, Peacock

Watch the 2026 World Cup with Fubo

Curacao vs Ivory Coast World Cup odds

World Cup standings

Explore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.

2026 World Cup format

The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:

Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
Superior goal difference in all group matches
Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained
The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men's World Ranking

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