Kimmich warns Germany must tighten defense before Ivory Coast clash

Joshua Kimmich sees Germany’s structure as a weapon, but not a guarantee. After the 7-1 opening win over Curacao that pushed Germany to the top of Group E, the captain said the next test against Ivory Coast will be about whether Germany can control a faster, more dangerous opponent without repeating the defensive lapses that briefly surfaced in Houston.

Germany’s second group match is set for Saturday, June 21, 2026, at 22:00 CEST in Winston-Salem, with ZDF and MagentaTV announced as broadcasters. Kimmich said the opening victory was convincing, yet he singled out a five-minute stretch in which Germany came under pressure and conceded too much. The message was plain: the winning run, now at 10 straight matches, matters less than whether Julian Nagelsmann’s side can keep its shape when the game turns chaotic.

That is where Ivory Coast changes the equation. Kimmich described the African side as physically strong, capable of handling conditions well, and dangerous when it breaks quickly into space. He also highlighted Yan Diomande as a player in “brutal” development, pointing to his dribbling and pace as the kind of tools that can turn one loss of possession into a decisive transition. For a Germany side built around control, those moments are the stress test.

The warning comes with fresh evidence from Germany’s first match. In front of 68,021 spectators in Houston on June 14, Curacao briefly levelled at 1-1 through Livano Comenencia before Germany widened the gap and recorded its first tournament rout. Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav all scored in the 7-1 win, a result that energized German supporters and put immediate pressure on the rest of the group.

Kimmich, though, argued that the true measure of Germany will come only after the group stage, not after one emphatic scoreline against a team he described as below the standard of the tournament’s elite. With Ivory Coast also on three points after beating Ecuador 1-0, the next match is less about style points than survival in the spaces Germany leaves open. If the back line tightens and the midfield keeps Ivory Coast from breaking early, Germany’s confidence should hold. If not, the speed Kimmich warned about may decide the chess match.