HOUSTON — For a small Caribbean island nation of just 150,000 people, a once-in-a-lifetime moment is almost here. Curaçao is gearing up to make its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance on Sunday, stepping onto soccer’s grandest global stage to face four-time tournament winner Germany — and in doing so, it will claim a new record as the smallest country to ever compete at the World Cup.
The milestone comes as a landmark achievement for a nation that has rarely had the opportunity to fly its flag independently at top-tier international sporting events. Due to its constitutional ties to the Netherlands, Curaçao is not recognized as a sovereign participating nation at the Olympic Games, and even its world-class baseball talent, produced at an outsized rate per capita for the tiny island, competes under the Dutch flag at the World Baseball Classic. This World Cup debut marks the first major global sports stage that Curaçao can call entirely its own.
Veteran head coach Dick Advocaat has worked intentionally to keep his young squad grounded and calm as they navigate the unprecedented pressure and attention of their first World Cup run. As the team departed their pre-tournament training camp in Boca Raton, Florida, for Houston, defender Shurandy Sambo shared Advocaat’s simple, steady message to the group: “Just be yourself, and don’t be nervous.”
Sambo noted that while the entire squad is buzzing with excitement to compete against one of the most dominant teams in men’s international soccer, the group has stayed focused on preparation. The players have spent hours studying game footage of Germany, a side making its 21st World Cup appearance and entering the match as a heavy favorite, to understand the four-time champions’ tactical approach and on-pitch strengths.
Far from just happy to be there, the Curaçao side is hungry to prove they belong on the world stage. “We are not here to just be here,” midfielder Ar’jany Martha said. “We want to show ourselves and get good results.”
Despite its small roster size, Curaçao will not lack for support inside the stadium on matchday. Every single player on the squad will have family in the stands to cheer them on: Sambo’s own relatives will be in attendance, alongside 21 other players’ family members who have traveled to support the historic moment. The squad itself has cultivated a tight, family-like culture that has kept spirits high in the lead-up to the match. “I (would describe us) as one big family,” defender Livano Comenencia said. “If you see us on the bus or outside the bus, in the hotel, we are always with music, always happy. Everybody is around each other.”
This debut is more than just a single match for Curaçao — it is a historic moment that puts the small island nation on the global sports map, and a chance to prove that size is no barrier to competing at the highest level of the world’s most popular sport.