Before Curaçao ever touched the pitch at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, they did what they always do. They prayed.
With a population of just 158,000 and a total area of 171 square miles, Curaçao is the smallest country ever to appear in a FIFA World Cup - and today, they faced one of the most decorated footballing nations on earth.
You can drive from one end of the country to the other in under an hour. Their entire population is smaller than some record attendances at World Cup matches. And yet, there they were - June 14, 2026, on the biggest stage in global sports.
The faith element isn't a footnote. It's the foundation. Curaçao FA president Gilbert Martina confirmed that the team prays before every training session and every match. "We start with a prayer - praying to say thank you that we are living. Praying to say thank you for the journey ahead of us. Spirituality, religion, whatever you want to call it, that's a key part of the team," he said.
Winger Kenji Gorré - who began his career in Manchester United's youth academy at age six and now plays for Maccabi Haifa - shared his personal conversion story with teammates ahead of the tournament and leads the Christian sports movement Ballers in God.
Curaçao went through qualifying unbeaten - winning seven of ten matches and topping their group ahead of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda. Martina called it "a divine journey." "When everything aligns, the universe aligns with your objective - then magic happens," he said.
For a nation the size of a city, they arrived at this World Cup with something bigger than a roster. They arrived with belief.
