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Germany are four-time World Cup champions, while Curacao won’t make their World Cup debut until 2026. The two teams are not equal, but at least for a brief moment during their group stage match in Houston on Sunday, that’s exactly what they were.
Coming into the match as incredibly heavy favourites, the Germans got off to the perfect start by taking a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the match. In other words, the match started exactly as expected, but then came the unexpected in what is undoubtedly the highlight of the tournament so far.
Chasing the ball with Germany completely dominating, Curacao managed to keep things in check and not just get into the game, but actually make it one by scoring the nation’s first ever goal in World Cup history.
Livano Comenencia #8 of Curacao celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Curacao at Houston Stadium on June 14, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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Livano Comenencia, a 22-year-old defender who plays professionally in Switzerland, was the man responsible for the historic moment.
The roughly 7,000 Curacao fans inside NRG Stadium celebrated the event accordingly.
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Germany got the momentum back on the side with a goal from a corner kick in the 38th minute, but the goal from Curacao was a sure win in itself.
Livano Comenencia #8 of Curacao celebrates with Juninho Bacuna #7 after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Curacao at Houston Stadium on June 14, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Julian Finney – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
To say Curacao is the underdog, and not just against Germany, but for the entire tournament, would be an understatement with the Caribbean island’s approximate population of just under 160,000. The population of Houston alone, the host city for the game, is 2.4 million.
Germany has a population of approximately 83 million.
Curacao’s fans cheer in the stands during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Curacao at Houston Stadium on June 14, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Steph Chambers – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Curacao, ranked 82nd in the FIFA rankings, qualified for its first World Cup in style by going unbeaten and winning CONCACAF Group B over Jamaica, Bermuda and Trinidad & Tobago.
The Curacao national team consists almost entirely of Dutch players who personally chose to represent their families who left the islands and came to the Netherlands. The team is led by 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, who took the Dutch to the quarter-finals at the 1994 World Cup held in the United States.
