# 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E

Matches in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 23 November to 1 December 2022. The group consisted of Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan. The top two teams, Japan and Spain, advanced to the round of 16. Japan became the third ever and the first Asian team to win a World Cup group since themselves in Group H and South Korea in Group D, both in the 2002 edition, a tournament both countries co-hosted. Germany was eliminated in the group stage for the second consecutive tournament after going out as defending champions in 2018. This was the second time the reigning world champions were eliminated in the group stage of the two subsequent tournaments, following Italy, who was eliminated in the following two group stages after winning the 2006 edition.

## Teams

| Draw position | Team | Pot | Confederation | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA Rankings | FIFA Rankings |
| Draw position | Team | Pot | Confederation | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | March 2022 | October 2022 |
| E1 | Spain | 1 | UEFA | UEFA Group B winners | 14 November 2021 | 16th | 2018 | Winners (2010) | 7 | 7 |
| E2 | Costa Rica | 4 | CONCACAF | CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners | 14 June 2022 | 6th | 2018 | Quarter-finals (2014) | 31 | 31 |
| E3 | Germany | 2 | UEFA | UEFA Group J winners | 11 October 2021 | 20th | 2018 | Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) | 12 | 11 |
| E4 | Japan | 3 | AFC | AFC third round Group B runners-up | 24 March 2022 | 7th | 2018 | Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018) | 23 | 24 |
Notes
* ↑ The rankings of March 2022 were used for seeding for the final draw.
* 1 2 As the identity of the CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the FIFA Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into pot 4.
* ↑ Germany competed between 1951 and 1990 as West Germany.

## Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 4 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 3 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 3 | |
In the round of 16:
* The winners of Group E, Japan, advanced to play the runners-up of Group F, Croatia.
* The runners-up of Group E, Spain, advanced to play the winners of Group F, Morocco.

## Matches

All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).

### Germany vs Japan

The two teams had faced each other twice, most recently in 2006 friendly, a 2–2 draw.
Japan's Daizen Maeda would convert a cross into the net 8 minutes in, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the 33rd minute, Germany was awarded a penalty when Japanese goalkeeper Shūichi Gonda fouled David Raum inside the area. İlkay Gündoğan converted the penalty via a shot down the middle of the net, with the goalkeeper diving to the right. Germany would have the ball in the net again just before half-time through Kai Havertz, but the goal was then once again disallowed for offside.
In the 75th minute, Japan equalized through Ritsu Dōan, after he finished a rebound into the net following goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's save from a low shot from the left. Japan went in front eight minutes later, when Takuma Asano received the ball down the right wing before pulling away from defender Nico Schlotterbeck towards the penalty area and shooting high above Neuer into the net past the near post.
The result marked the second consecutive occasion that Germany lost their opening World Cup match, after a 1–0 defeat to Mexico in 2018. Following his substitution on in the 79th minute, the contest also saw the return of Mario Götze in a World Cup match, his first since scoring the decisive goal in extra time of the 2014 final against Argentina.
| Germany | Japan |
| GK | 1 | Manuel Neuer (c) |
| RB | 15 | Niklas Süle |
| CB | 2 | Antonio Rüdiger |
| CB | 23 | Nico Schlotterbeck |
| LB | 3 | David Raum |
| CM | 6 | Joshua Kimmich |
| CM | 21 | İlkay Gündoğan | 67' |
| RW | 10 | Serge Gnabry | 90' |
| AM | 13 | Thomas Müller | 67' |
| LW | 14 | Jamal Musiala | 79' |
| CF | 7 | Kai Havertz | 79' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 18 | Jonas Hofmann | 67' |
| MF | 8 | Leon Goretzka | 67' |
| MF | 11 | Mario Götze | 79' |
| FW | 9 | Niclas Füllkrug | 79' |
| FW | 26 | Youssoufa Moukoko | 90' |
| Manager: ||
| Hansi Flick ||
| GK | 12 | Shūichi Gonda |
| RB | 19 | Hiroki Sakai | 75' |
| CB | 4 | Ko Itakura |
| CB | 22 | Maya Yoshida (c) |
| LB | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo | 57' |
| CM | 6 | Wataru Endo |
| CM | 17 | Ao Tanaka | 71' |
| RW | 14 | Junya Itō |
| AM | 15 | Daichi Kamada |
| LW | 11 | Takefusa Kubo | 46' |
| CF | 25 | Daizen Maeda | 57' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 16 | Takehiro Tomiyasu | 46' |
| MF | 9 | Kaoru Mitoma | 57' |
| FW | 18 | Takuma Asano | 57' |
| MF | 8 | Ritsu Dōan | 71' |
| MF | 10 | Takumi Minamino | 75' |
| Manager: ||
| Hajime Moriyasu ||
* Man of the Match:
* Shūichi Gonda (Japan)
* Assistant referees:
* David Morán (El Salvador)
* Zachari Zeegelaar (Suriname)
* Fourth official:
* Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Helpys Raymundo Feliz (Dominican Republic)
* Video assistant referee:
* Mauro Vigliano (Argentina)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Armando Villarreal (United States)
* Kathryn Nesbitt (United States)
* Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Mahmoud Abouelregal (Egypt)

### Spain vs Costa Rica

The teams had met on three occasions, all of them friendlies, with the most recent being a 5–0 home win for Spain in 2017.
Spain dominated possession, and were up 3–0 at half-time thanks to goals scored in a span of 20 minutes by Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres from the penalty spot. Torres would get his second goal of the match nine minutes into the second half, before teenager Gavi scored Spain's fifth goal via an outside-of-the-foot volley in the 74th minute. Late strikes from substitutes Carlos Soler and Álvaro Morata saw the match conclude in a 7–0 Spanish win, the biggest margin of victory in a World Cup game since Portugal beat North Korea by the same scoreline in 2010. Costa Rica failed to record a single shot throughout the entirety of the contest, whilst Spain scored with each of their first seven shots on target.
Costa Rica equalled their worst ever defeat, a 7–0 loss to Mexico in 1975, while this was Spain's biggest win at a World Cup, surpassing their 6–1 success against Bulgaria in 1998. At the age of 18 years and 110 days, Gavi became the youngest ever player to both play and score in a World Cup match for Spain; he was also the youngest player to score for any team in the competition since Pelé for Brazil in 1958.
| Spain | Costa Rica |
| GK | 23 | Unai Simón |
| RB | 2 | César Azpilicueta |
| CB | 16 | Rodri |
| CB | 24 | Aymeric Laporte |
| LB | 18 | Jordi Alba | 64' |
| DM | 5 | Sergio Busquets (c) | 64' |
| CM | 9 | Gavi |
| CM | 26 | Pedri | 57' |
| RF | 11 | Ferran Torres | 57' |
| CF | 10 | Marco Asensio | 69' |
| LF | 21 | Dani Olmo |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 7 | Álvaro Morata | 57' |
| MF | 19 | Carlos Soler | 57' |
| DF | 14 | Alejandro Balde | 64' |
| MF | 8 | Koke | 64' |
| FW | 12 | Nico Williams | 69' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Enrique ||
| GK | 1 | Keylor Navas (c) |
| RB | 16 | Carlos Martínez | | 46' |
| CB | 6 | Óscar Duarte |
| CB | 15 | Francisco Calvo | 68' |
| LB | 8 | Bryan Oviedo | | 82' |
| RM | 4 | Keysher Fuller |
| CM | 5 | Celso Borges | | 72' |
| CM | 17 | Yeltsin Tejeda |
| LM | 9 | Jewison Bennette | | 61' |
| CF | 12 | Joel Campbell | 90+7' |
| CF | 7 | Anthony Contreras | | 61' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 19 | Kendall Waston | | 46' |
| MF | 26 | Álvaro Zamora | | 61' |
| MF | 10 | Bryan Ruiz | | 61' |
| MF | 20 | Brandon Aguilera | | 72' |
| DF | 22 | Rónald Matarrita | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Fernando Suárez ||
* Man of the Match:
* Gavi (Spain)
* Assistant referees:
* Mohamed Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
* Hasan Al-Mahri (United Arab Emirates)
* Fourth official:
* Ma Ning (China)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Shi Xiang (China)
* Video assistant referee:
* Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
* Bruno Pires (Brazil)
* Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)

### Japan vs Costa Rica

The teams had previously met four times, all in friendly matches, with Japan winning three and drawing one; their most recent encounter was a 3–0 home victory for the Japanese in 2018.
Japan, who made five changes to their starting lineup that won against Germany, dominated the match, but it was Costa Rica who would go in front with nine minutes remaining. Keysher Fuller scored with a shot from the right which was deflected and misjudged by Japan goalkeeper Shūichi Gonda, and this would end up being the only goal of the game.
| Japan | Costa Rica |
| GK | 12 | Shūichi Gonda |
| RB | 2 | Miki Yamane | 44' | 62' |
| CB | 4 | Ko Itakura | 84' |
| CB | 22 | Maya Yoshida (c) |
| LB | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo | | 46' |
| CM | 6 | Wataru Endo | 90+3' |
| CM | 13 | Hidemasa Morita |
| RW | 8 | Ritsu Dōan | | 67' |
| AM | 15 | Daichi Kamada |
| LW | 24 | Yuki Soma | | 82' |
| CF | 21 | Ayase Ueda | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 26 | Hiroki Itō | | 46' |
| FW | 18 | Takuma Asano | | 46' |
| MF | 9 | Kaoru Mitoma | | 62' |
| MF | 14 | Junya Itō | | 67' |
| MF | 10 | Takumi Minamino | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Hajime Moriyasu ||
| GK | 1 | Keylor Navas (c) |
| CB | 6 | Óscar Duarte |
| CB | 19 | Kendall Waston |
| CB | 15 | Francisco Calvo | 70' |
| RWB | 4 | Keysher Fuller |
| LWB | 8 | Bryan Oviedo |
| RM | 13 | Gerson Torres | | 65' |
| CM | 5 | Celso Borges | 61' | 89' |
| CM | 17 | Yeltsin Tejeda |
| LM | 12 | Joel Campbell | | 90+5' |
| CF | 7 | Anthony Contreras | 41' | 65' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 20 | Brandon Aguilera | | 65' |
| MF | 9 | Jewison Bennette | | 65' |
| MF | 14 | Youstin Salas | | 89' |
| MF | 2 | Daniel Chacón | | 90+5' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Fernando Suárez ||
* Man of the Match:
* Keysher Fuller (Costa Rica)
* Assistant referees:
* Stuart Burt (England)
* Simon Bennett (England)
* Fourth official:
* Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* El Hadj Malick Samba (Senegal)
* Video assistant referee:
* Jérôme Brisard (France)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Benoît Millot (France)
* Cyril Gringore (France)
* Adil Zourak (Morocco)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Nicolas Danos (France)

### Spain vs Germany

The teams had previously met four times in the World Cup: Germany recorded a 2–1 group stage victory in 1966 and a 2–1 second group stage win in 1982, the sides had a 1–1 group stage draw in 1994, and Spain earned a 1–0 semi-final win in 2010. Their most recent meeting was in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, with Spain winning 6–0.
In the first half, Spain's Dani Olmo had a shot that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer turned onto the bar. In the 62nd minute, substitute Álvaro Morata put Spain into the lead when he flicked Jordi Alba's cross from the left into the net at the near post. With seven minutes to go, Niclas Füllkrug, also a substitute, equalized for Germany when he lashed the ball with his right foot high past Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón from the right. Leroy Sané nearly won the contest for Germany in stoppage time when he was through on goal, but the ball eventually went out of bounds after he ran out of space to run.
| Spain | Germany |
| GK | 23 | Unai Simón |
| RB | 20 | Dani Carvajal |
| CB | 16 | Rodri |
| CB | 24 | Aymeric Laporte |
| LB | 18 | Jordi Alba | | 82' |
| DM | 5 | Sergio Busquets (c) | 44' |
| CM | 9 | Gavi | | 66' |
| CM | 26 | Pedri |
| RF | 11 | Ferran Torres | | 54' |
| CF | 10 | Marco Asensio | | 66' |
| LF | 21 | Dani Olmo |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 7 | Álvaro Morata | | 54' |
| MF | 8 | Koke | | 66' |
| FW | 12 | Nico Williams | | 66' |
| DF | 14 | Alejandro Balde | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Enrique ||
| GK | 1 | Manuel Neuer (c) |
| RB | 5 | Thilo Kehrer | 37' | 70' |
| CB | 15 | Niklas Süle |
| CB | 2 | Antonio Rüdiger |
| LB | 3 | David Raum | | 87' |
| CM | 6 | Joshua Kimmich | 60' |
| CM | 8 | Leon Goretzka | 58' |
| RW | 10 | Serge Gnabry | | 85' |
| AM | 21 | İlkay Gündoğan | | 70' |
| LW | 14 | Jamal Musiala |
| CF | 13 | Thomas Müller | | 70' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 9 | Niclas Füllkrug | | 70' |
| DF | 16 | Lukas Klostermann | | 70' |
| MF | 19 | Leroy Sané | | 70' |
| MF | 18 | Jonas Hofmann | | 85' |
| DF | 23 | Nico Schlotterbeck | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Hansi Flick ||
* Man of the Match:
* Álvaro Morata (Spain)
* Assistant referees:
* Hessel Steegstra (Netherlands)
* Jan de Vries (Netherlands)
* Fourth official:
* István Kovács (Romania)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Vasile Marinescu (Romania)
* Video assistant referee:
* Pol van Boekel (Netherlands)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
* Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Paolo Valeri (Italy)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Ovidiu Artene (Romania)

### Japan vs Spain

The teams previously faced each other once in 2001, a friendly won 1–0 by Spain.
After Álvaro Morata scored with a header from five yards out after a cross from César Azpilicueta on the right to give Spain a 1–0 half-time lead, Ritsu Dōan equalized for Japan early into the second period, with his strike from outside the penalty area overpowering goalkeeper Unai Simón and going into the top right corner of the net. Ao Tanaka put Japan in front just three minutes later with a close range finish, with the assist coming from a cut-back by Kaoru Mitoma on the left, seeing the ball hover within millimeters of the left sideline. This would prove to be the decisive goal, as Japan won 2–1 to top Group E ahead of Spain and Germany, the latter being eliminated in the first round for the second tournament in a row.
Due to the tightness of the call, the circumstances surrounding Japan's second goal sparked much discussion. The live television camera angle created an optical illusion as if the pass to Tanaka was out of bounds, and the video assistant referee took several minutes to confirm that a sliver of the ball stayed in the field, making it a valid goal. The crucial evidence that settled the dispute was the bird's eye photo taken by Petr David Josek, released by the Associated Press after the match. Josek revealed that a total of four agencies — AP, Reuters, AFP and Getty Images — were approved to enter the suspended catwalk to take bird's eye photos, but the latter three missed the shot because they were at the opposite side of the pitch anticipating a Spanish goal instead.
Japan's victory with only 18% of possession was the lowest for a winning side at a FIFA World Cup match since records began in 1966. The match would later draw comparisons with the Japan women's team's 4–0 win against Spain at the 2023 Women's World Cup, with Japan's mere 23% possession also breaking the record for lowest by a winning side at the tournament (since recordings began in 2011). Both the men's and women's team showed a similar tactical plan against their Spanish counterparts. Japan's progression from the group marked the first time they ever reached the knockout stage in consecutive World Cups.
| Japan | Spain |
| GK | 12 | Shūichi Gonda |
| CB | 4 | Ko Itakura | 39' |
| CB | 22 | Maya Yoshida (c) | 45' |
| CB | 3 | Shogo Taniguchi | 44' |
| RM | 14 | Junya Itō |
| CM | 13 | Hidemasa Morita |
| CM | 17 | Ao Tanaka | | 87' |
| LM | 5 | Yuto Nagatomo | | 46' |
| RF | 15 | Daichi Kamada | | 69' |
| CF | 25 | Daizen Maeda | | 62' |
| LF | 11 | Takefusa Kubo | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 8 | Ritsu Dōan | | 46' |
| MF | 9 | Kaoru Mitoma | | 46' |
| FW | 18 | Takuma Asano | | 62' |
| DF | 16 | Takehiro Tomiyasu | | 69' |
| MF | 6 | Wataru Endo | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Hajime Moriyasu ||
| GK | 23 | Unai Simón |
| RB | 2 | César Azpilicueta | 46' |
| CB | 16 | Rodri |
| CB | 4 | Pau Torres |
| LB | 14 | Alejandro Balde | 68' |
| DM | 5 | Sergio Busquets (c) |
| CM | 9 | Gavi | 68' |
| CM | 26 | Pedri |
| RF | 12 | Nico Williams | 57' |
| CF | 7 | Álvaro Morata | 57' |
| LF | 21 | Dani Olmo |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 20 | Dani Carvajal | 46' |
| FW | 11 | Ferran Torres | 57' |
| FW | 10 | Marco Asensio | 57' |
| FW | 25 | Ansu Fati | 68' |
| DF | 18 | Jordi Alba | 68' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Enrique ||
* Man of the Match:
* Ao Tanaka (Japan)
* Assistant referees:
* Zakhele Siwela (South Africa)
* Souru Phatsoane (Lesotho)
* Fourth official:
* Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* El Hadj Malick Samba (Senegal)
* Video assistant referee:
* Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Armando Villarreal (United States)
* Kyle Atkins (United States)
* Adil Zourak (Morocco)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Nicolás Taran (Uruguay)

### Costa Rica vs Germany

The teams had only met once prior, when hosts Germany defeated Costa Rica 4–2 in the opening match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
After taking the lead in the first half through Serge Gnabry, Germany would be pegged pack in the second period following goals from Costa Rica scored by Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Pablo Vargas. Germany would quickly rally back with a brace from Kai Havertz and a late effort converted by Niclas Füllkrug to win the match 4–2, the same scoreline as the teams' previous World Cup encounter.
Despite the victory, Germany were still edged out of second place in the group by Spain, as a result of the latter's superior goal difference. This meant that the 2014 champions had failed to reach the knockout stage in the two subsequent tournaments following their last World Cup title (having finished bottom of their group in 2018), the same fate that befell 2006 winners Italy in 2010 and 2014. Costa Rica exited the competition as the team with the worst goal differential, in spite of the fact they won one of their three matches.
| Costa Rica | Germany |
| GK | 1 | Keylor Navas (c) |
| CB | 19 | Kendall Waston |
| CB | 6 | Óscar Duarte | 77' |
| CB | 3 | Juan Pablo Vargas |
| RWB | 4 | Keysher Fuller | | 74' |
| LWB | 8 | Bryan Oviedo | | 90+3' |
| RM | 12 | Joel Campbell |
| CM | 5 | Celso Borges |
| CM | 17 | Yeltsin Tejeda | | 90+3' |
| LM | 20 | Brandon Aguilera | | 46' |
| CF | 11 | Johan Venegas | | 74' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Youstin Salas | | 46' |
| DF | 22 | Rónald Matarrita | | 74' |
| MF | 9 | Jewison Bennette | | 74' |
| FW | 7 | Anthony Contreras | | 90+3' |
| MF | 24 | Roan Wilson | | 90+3' |
| Manager: ||
| Luis Fernando Suárez ||
| GK | 1 | Manuel Neuer (c) |
| RB | 6 | Joshua Kimmich |
| CB | 15 | Niklas Süle | 90+3' |
| CB | 2 | Antonio Rüdiger |
| LB | 3 | David Raum | 66' |
| CM | 8 | Leon Goretzka | 46' |
| CM | 21 | İlkay Gündoğan | 55' |
| RW | 19 | Leroy Sané |
| AM | 14 | Jamal Musiala |
| LW | 10 | Serge Gnabry |
| CF | 13 | Thomas Müller | 66' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 16 | Lukas Klostermann | 46' |
| FW | 9 | Niclas Füllkrug | 55' |
| FW | 7 | Kai Havertz | 66' |
| MF | 11 | Mario Götze | 66' |
| DF | 4 | Matthias Ginter | 90+3' |
| Manager: ||
| Hansi Flick ||
* Man of the Match:
* Kai Havertz (Germany)
* Assistant referees:
* Neuza Back (Brazil)
* Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico)
* Fourth official:
* Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Walter López (Honduras)
* Video assistant referee:
* Drew Fischer (Canada)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Jerome Brisard (France)
* Kathryn Nesbitt (United States)
* Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
* Stand-by assistant video assistant referee:
* Corey Parker (United States)

## Discipline

Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
* first yellow card: −1 point;
* indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
* direct red card: −4 points;
* yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.
| Team | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Points |
| Spain | | 1 | | −1 |
| Germany | | 3 | | −3 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 3 | 1 | −6 |
| Japan | | 3 | 3 | −6 |