Day 15 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup closes out the group stage for Groups D, E and F, delivering six matches full of high stakes. Germany looks to stay perfect against a must-win Ecuador at New York New Jersey Stadium, while the USMNT wraps up its dominant Group D run against Türkiye in Los Angeles at 10 p.m. ET. Japan and Sweden meet in Dallas with a spot in the Round of 32 on the line, and a winner-take-all battle for second place in Group D pits Paraguay against Australia in the San Francisco Bay Area. All six matches air on FOX or FS1 and stream live and on demand on FOX One.
Germany and Ecuador meet up on Thursday at New York New Jersey Stadium in a Group E game where both teams face very different realities.
Entering the tournament, Ecuador was seen as a team capable of making a deep run in the knockout stages. In World Cup qualifying in CONMEBOLs single table format, Ecuador finished second, only behind Argentina. Its defense was historically good as it conceded just five goals, including just one in its final 11 games.
After two games without a win, Ecuador is looking at a scenario where it needs to defeat a powerful German team just to advance.
Despite being the smallest country in both size and area to ever qualify for the World Cup, tiny Curaçao enters its final Group E game on Thursday with a chance to advance to the round of 32. Of course, it will be extremely difficult as it will require a win over a very good Ivory Coast team, but this tournament has been full of surprises and has shown that anything can happen.
The Netherlands will be looking to secure the top spot in Group F when it takes on Tunisia on Thursday at Kansas City Stadium. The Netherlands enters the game with four points and are flying high after a terrific 5-1 win over Sweden on Saturday. On the other hand, Tunisia is in complete disarray and has already been eliminated.
The Netherlands enters this game even on points and even on goal differential with Japan at the top of the group. Given that Japan and the Netherlands drew in their matchup, first place could come down to goal differential if both teams win their finals.
A lot is at stake for Japan and Sweden when the two teams meet on Thursday at Dallas Stadium in Group F. Japan enters the game on four points while Sweden has three points. The winner of this game is assured of a place in the knockout stages, and possible even the group title depending on how the Netherlands (also at four points) do against Tunisia.
Japan enters this game as the deserved favorite and can win the group if it defeats Sweden and the Dutch stumble. Even if both teams win, Japan can win Group F if its margin of victory is greater than the margin for the Netherlands.
Co-host United States will take on Türkiye on Thursday at Los Angeles Stadium in the Group D finale for both teams. USA has already clinched the group title after winning its first two games by multigoal margins and outscoring opponents 6-1. Meanwhile, Türkiye has lost its first two games and is eliminated. It will end its disappointing World Cup campaign after this game.
Second place in Group D and a guaranteed place in the round of 32 is on the line when Paraguay and Australia clash on Thursday at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Both teams have lost to the United States and defeated Türkiye to arrive with three points. But Australia carries an edge in the goal differential tieb
