How World Cup newcomer Curaçao wants to survive against the DFB team

German squad 37 times more valuable

The German national team starts the 2026 World Cup on Sunday evening in Houston. The DFB team’s opponent is World Cup newcomer Curaçao, which is playing against Germany for the first time. The island state from the Caribbean is one of the clear outsiders, which is not only reflected in the squad value. But with the euphoria of qualifying for a World Cup finals for the first time and a good atmosphere, Curaçao wants to surprise.

“We want to make it as difficult as possible for every opponent. And we certainly don’t have a chance. Everyone can surprise. Why not Curaçao? And one surprise can be enough to advance,” said coach Dick Advocaat, for whom this is his third World Cup after 1994 with the Netherlands and 2006 with South Korea. The 78-year-old led the nation to the finals, then resigned for personal reasons and took over the team again after Fred Rutten was sacked. The duel between Advocaat and 38-year-old Julian Nagelsmann is the meeting of the oldest and youngest coaches in the tournament.

Curaçao is an independent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and, with 160,000 inhabitants, is the smallest World Cup participant ever. The connection to the Netherlands is also evident in the squad, as many players were born in neighboring Germany or are under contract there. “When I started, half of the team didn’t want to play. A lot of people still thought they would get into the Dutch national team,” explained Advocaat. He was able to convince professionals such as ex-Bremer Tahith Chong (26) and Sontje Hansen (24), who made a significant contribution to the World Cup qualification, to come to Curaçao.

The path to the World Cup led through qualification in the CONCACAF association in the group with the former tournament participants Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago as well as Bermuda. After a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in November, participation in the World Cup was in the clear. But as world number 82. and with a squad value of 25.8 million euros – only that of Iraq, Jordan and Qatar is lower – Curaçao is one of the absolute outsiders. The DFB team has a squad value of 947 million euros and is 37 times more valuable than its first opponent. The island nation is also not considered to have many chances against Ivory Coast (522 million) and Ecuador (369 million). “The good atmosphere and team spirit are our strengths,” says Advocaat.

TM expert about Curaçao: “The absolute underdog”

Manuel Veth, Area Manager US & North America at Transfermarkt, also doesn’t believe Curaçao will progress: “They are the absolute underdog in this tournament and the smallest country that has ever qualified for a World Cup. I believe that the group with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast is probably too strong for this team.” In the last test match before the World Cup there was a 4-0 win against Aruba, which is ranked 189th in the world. There were significant defeats this year against World Cup participants Scotland (1:4) and Australia (1:5).

“Overall, Curaçao is a very experienced team that relies a lot on their defense. Dick Advocaat has already experienced a lot as head coach. I think they will withdraw a lot against Germany and try to play on the counterattack. In the last game against Aruba, they sometimes played a five-man chain,” says Veth, describing Curaçao’s strengths. In the World Cup qualifying, Advocaat mainly played with a back four, which will probably change given the opponents at the World Cup. “The weaknesses are pretty clear. The team simply doesn’t have the same qualities as the big top nations. Even in the CONCACAF region, Curaçao is small. Without the increase and with Canada, Mexico and the USA already qualified, they would hardly be at this tournament.”

One player to watch out for is Jürgen Locadia, who once played in the Bundesliga for VfL Bochum. “He is the most famous player. Locadia is now playing USL Championship (second division; editor’s note) in Miami, which says a lot. In addition, Chong will be one of Curaçao’s most important players, who will also have his moments against Germany.” The most valuable professional in the squad is Armando Obispo from PSV Eindhoven with 4 million euros, followed by Chong and Hansen with 3.5 million euros each.

Curaçao are the clear outsiders in Group E and progress would be a big surprise. Nevertheless, regardless of the results at the tournament, qualifying for the World Cup is already a huge success for the island nation and was celebrated. The game against Germany will be an absolute highlight in the history of the Curaçao national team.