Anyone who follows the Curaçao team on social media knows that, if the team isn't good at playing the ball, it's good at playing the ball. Players appear dancing in training, changing rooms and when traveling, including on the arrivals runway at the airport. The smallest nation in the world to participate in a World Cup celebrates every moment in the United States before the opening game in the World Cup next Sunday (14), at 2 pm (Brasília time), at Houston Stadium (United States). Onda Azul - the nickname of the Curaçao team - will face four-time champions Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) in their debut, which renewed the team for this competition. In the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, the Germans were eliminated in the group stage. Related news: Blue Sharks swim against the current towards the 2026 World Cup. Without Neymar, Brazil finalizes its preparations for its World Cup debut on Saturday. World Cup mascots include the bald eagle, an animal saved from extinction. 🎶 Starting the first practice the Curacao-way #TheBlueWave #Curaçao pic.twitter.com/XtP1IzkODS June 9, 2026 The Caribbean island with less than 200,000 inhabitants is participating in a World Cup for the first time and the players are enjoying every second. Next Monday (14), Onda Azul - - the nickname of the Curaçao team - will make its debut against Germany, which is renewed for this competition. In the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, the Germans were eliminated in the group stage. Formed by a team with the stamp of the diaspora, with a majority of players born in the Netherlands — members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands — Curaçao will be unlikely to progress to the next stage of the World Cup. The team fell into Group E, which, in addition to Germany, has Ecuador and Ivory Coast, teams with more tradition and participation in World Cups.  The Kingdom of the Netherlands is made up of Aruba, Curaçao, Saint Martin and the Netherlands (known as the Netherlands on the European continent). As it is an autonomous territory, FIFA allows the Caribbean island, located slightly above Venezuela, to have its own national team, even without recognition as a State by the United Nations (UN). An island dream! Curaçao qualify for their first-ever #FIFAWorldCup. 🇨🇼🤩#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/QXsBTbNjzh November 19, 2025 Originally, Curaçao was inhabited by the Arawak people. Subjected to Spanish rule in the 1500s, they were deported to work in mines and plantations in other regions. The Netherlands conquered the territory in 1634 and converted Curaçao into a transatlantic entrepôt for enslaved black people. The location in the Caribbean Sea and the presence of a natural harbor favored the Dutch plans. At the time, around 500,000 Africans enslaved by the Dutch passed through the island before being sent to European colonies in Latin America. In March 2026, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was considered the most serious crime against humanity ever committed. The resolution came from the UN General Assembly, even with votes against from the United States, Israel and Argentina. The resolution also stated that UN Member States should consider apologizing and contributing to a fund intended to repair the lasting legacy of slavery around the world.