Curaçao ready for Germany as Advocaat bans shirt-swapping

Germany awaits on Sunday

The biggest match in Curaçao's history is here. Your team faces Germany in the Group E opener on Sunday, June 14, at 19:00 (2). The smallest nation ever to qualify for a men's World Cup, population 160,000, walks onto the pitch against one of the tournament giants. No one gave you a chance to even get this far. Now the moment is real.

'Let them underestimate us'

Roshon van Eijma has heard the predictions. "I read a lot about it: Curaçao, the smallest country in World Cup history, conceding five, six, seven goals. But I'm not wasting time thinking about that, because we are strong," the defender told Bild (3). The squad arrives with nothing to lose and a chip on its shoulder.

Advocaat lays down the law

Dick Advocaat has banned his players from approaching any Germany player before the final whistle (3). No shirt-swapping, no photos, no distractions. This is strictly business. The veteran coach knows exactly what a moment of star-struck awe could cost his team.

Shirt-swap feud already brewing

Captain Leandro Bacuna revealed there is a real argument in the dressing room over who gets Antonio Rudiger's shirt after the match. "He's an idol for many of our young players," Bacuna said (3). The fight is on, even if Advocaat says it has to wait until the job is done.

Locadia's remarkable road to the World Cup

VI has published an in-depth piece on Jürgen Locadia's unusual path to this tournament (1). From the Dutch Eredivisie to representing Curaçao on the biggest stage, his journey mirrors the team itself: unconventional, improbable, and impossible to ignore.