Curaçao crush Aruba 4–0 as World Cup opener against Germany looms

Curaçao thrash Aruba 4–0 in final warm-up before World Cup

Your boys are flying. Curaçao dismantled Aruba 4–0 in Saturday's friendly, the final send-off before heading to the United States for the World Cup (2). Goals came from Joshua Brenet, Jeremy Antonisse, Livano Comenencia and Juninho – a full-team statement with nothing left to chance.

This is the team that already made history as the smallest nation ever to qualify for a men's World Cup. Now they arrive on the global stage with genuine momentum.

Locadia red card hangs over opener against Germany

Striker Locadia was sent off in the previous friendly against Scotland, and the squad is still waiting for FIFA to confirm whether the suspension carries into Curaçao's World Cup opener against Germany (2). No decision yet – but the clock is ticking. That opening match is set for Sunday.

Advocaat names his World Cup favourites

Dick Advocaat shared his picks for the tournament: "Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands are my favourites" (1). The Curaçao boss named the Dutch alongside the usual giants, though it is his own squad making the better story.

Germany's goalkeeper drama ahead of Sunday

Manuel Neuer plans to start in goal against Curaçao this weekend despite an injury, and it is causing friction in the German camp. Backup Oliver Baumann did not hide his frustration: "Yes, it was difficult at first, of course. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling … I'd rather not comment for now. I don't want to go deeper on the subject. The situation is what it is. I'm focused on myself and the team. That's all that matters. We hope to have a few weeks ahead and we will give everything to achieve success" (6). Marc-André ter Stegen is also in the mix.

Meanwhile, German fans have been invited to vote on the starting XI for Sunday's match (3). The disrespect writes itself.

Group E at a glance

Curaçao's World Cup group: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao (4). The full tournament schedule is now available, with Curaçao and the Netherlands both in action across the opening days (5).

Fan-reaktioner

A Curaçao supporter heading to Houston for the Germany match asked fellow fans on Reddit for tips on getting a jersey signed or snapping a picture with a German player. The responses leaned optimistic – the fan community seems to believe proximity to the action is better than most casuals expect. Check out the thread