Curaçao face Ivory Coast with history on the line

Win and you're through

This is it. Curaçao face Ivory Coast on Thursday evening in Philadelphia, and the equation is brutally simple: win, and your team reaches the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history (1) (2) (3). A draw or a loss, and the fairy tale ends in Group E. The match kicks off at 9pm BST (8). Germany face Ecuador in the other group game at the same time (2).

Van Aanholt: 'If they win, it'll be chaos'

Patrick van Aanholt did not hold back. "If they win, it'll be chaos," the analyst said ahead of the decisive match (6). The stakes could not be higher for an island that has already captured hearts with a gritty 0–0 draw against Ecuador and a historic first World Cup point.

Nyberg takes the whistle

Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg will officiate Curaçao vs Ivory Coast (8). He takes charge of a match that will send one team into the last 16 for the first time.

From delivery driver to the World Cup

Deveron Fonville delivered meals before he delivered on a World Cup stage. The NEC defender's journey to this tournament is one of the most remarkable stories in the squad (7). He was working as a food delivery driver not long ago. Now he is part of a team one win from the knockout rounds.

The island is ready

Curaçao's official channels released a video ahead of the match with the message: "For our island" (9). Fans marched to the stadium in Philadelphia. The squad, still riding the wave of that Dutch royal family locker-room celebration after the Ecuador draw, knows what 90 minutes can deliver.

Fan reactions

The pre-match video has fans emotional. On Reddit, supporters are calling it incredible and sharing the build-up to kickoff in Philadelphia. The World Cup thread for Thursday has Curaçao vs Ivory Coast front and center alongside Germany vs Ecuador. Watch the video and join the discussion.