Germany vs Curaçao preview: Advocaat turns opener into a real test

Curaçao go into their first World Cup match with history already made, and Germany waiting first in their opener against Curaçao. Dick Advocaat has made no attempt to soften it. "Starting off against Germany is fantastic. We will find out immediately where we stand," he said.

The game is scheduled for 14 June 2026 at 17:00 UTC. It is also a proper measuring point for a side that arrives as the smallest country ever to take part in a World Cup, unbeaten through all 10 of their CONCACAF qualifying games.

Why this opener matters for Curaçao

Advocaat was equally direct about the opponent. "Germany are obviously the big favourites in the group. They are still a big footballing country," he said. That is fair enough, but the favourite tag does not make this a throwaway fixture. Germany's recent World Cup form is mixed, with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five tournament matches.

That gives Germany vs Curaçao a bit more edge than a standard mismatch. Curaçao are not coming in just to admire the occasion. They have already handled a qualifying campaign without losing, and they have the oldest head coach in World Cup history on the touchline. Advocaat is 78 and now sits ahead of Otto Rehhagel in that record.

The history already belongs to Curaçao

There is no need to overstate what Curaçao have done to reach this point. The qualification run was perfect across 10 games, and that matters because it shows they did not stumble into this tournament. It also explains why Advocaat is comfortable using Germany as the benchmark rather than treating the opener like damage limitation.

A warm-up win over Aruba also offered a little more to work with. The match was goalless at half-time before goals from Joshua Brenet, Jeremy Antonisse, Liviano Comenencia and Juninho Bacuna after the break. That is not the headline here, but it does show a team with enough control to settle after a slow start.

For Curaçao, the real story is simple. They have already made history, and now they get the biggest possible test of where they stand. If they compete well, it will add another serious layer to what is already the most remarkable qualification story in their football history.