The noise inside Houston Stadium when Curacao scored their first World Cup goal ever is something else

Curacao, the smallest nation in history to reach a World Cup, celebrated a historic goal in their opening game against Germany – and the noise inside Houston Stadium was quite incredible.

To put their presence at this summer's tournament into perspective, the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao has a population of just 158,000, which is smaller than the Isle of Man and similar to Huddersfield

A decade ago, they were 150th in FIFA's official world rankings. Today, they are 82nd.

It has been a fairytale journey for the nation, who are managed by Dick Advocaat, the oldest coach in World Cup history at 78. He was understandably emotional before Sunday's kick-off against Germany.

And the former Netherlands, South Korea and Belgium boss was smiling from ear to ear in the 21st minute, when Livano Comenencia equalised for the underdogs, after his shot deflected past Manuel Neuer.

WHAT A MOMENT FOR CURACAO! 🇨🇼

Livano Comenencia scores against Germany on their World Cup debut pic.twitter.com/aiyTB7EcE7

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 14, 2026

As expected, thousands of Curacao fans celebrated wildly as Comenencia ran towards the corner flag, and the noise inside Houston Stadium was deafening.

Unfortunately for the minnows, Nico Schlotterbeck restored Germany's lead in the 39th minute before Arsenal forward Kai Havertz converted from the penalty spot to make it 3-1, just moments before half-time.

Julian Nagelsmann's side went on to dominate the second period, with Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav finding the scoresheet before Havertz made it 7-1 in the dying stages.

Dick Advocaat thinks his Curacao side can surprise people at this summer's World Cup

Curacao overcame the odds in November when a draw with Jamaica sealed their place in the 48-team World Cup.

Speaking ahead of their clash against Germany, manager Dick Advocaat was in confident spirits. “We are a small country compared to Germany, ​but we will make life difficult for them and be ⁠a tough team to play,” he said.

“It sometimes happens that ​small teams, amateur teams, beat much bigger sides. In the Netherlands, this happens ​regularly.

“Germany will be the dominant team and we have to respond to that. We are going to use the space that Germany will create (when they attack) and benefit from it.”

“We have nothing to lose," added Advocaat. "The expectation is not that high ‌outside ⁠of us as a squad, because we think we can surprise people. Just being here is great for the players and the country, but we also have to show people what we are made of.”