'No shame' in 1-7 loss to Germany, Curaçao coach Advocaat says, citing vast squad value gap

Curaçao's FIFA World Cup debut was a brutal one. The small island nation of roughly 150,000 people was drawn against Germany in Group E of the 2026 North America World Cup and suffered a 1-7 defeat as Germany looked to reassert itself as a football powerhouse.

But Curaçao head coach Dick Advocaat defended his players, saying there was nothing to be ashamed of.

In Sunday's match, Curaçao briefly appeared to level the contest when Livano Comenencia equalized in the 21st minute to make it 1-1 after the side had fallen behind. The reprieve was short-lived, however, as Germany's firepower proved overwhelming. Kai Havertz scored twice, and six German players found the net in total.

According to AFP, Advocaat told reporters at a post-match news conference that Germany's squad is valued at 850 million euros (approximately 1.485 trillion won, or $987 million), while his own side is worth around 25 million euros (approximately 43.7 billion won, or $27 million). "Losing like this against a team like that is nothing to be ashamed of," he said.

"Germany was just too strong," Advocaat said. "We conceded too many goals."

He added that simply reaching the World Cup was already a remarkable achievement. "All we need to do here is show the best of ourselves," he said.

Advocaat took charge of Curaçao in January 2024. He briefly stepped down in February to care for his ailing daughter but returned to the dugout three months later, in May, in time to lead the team at the World Cup.

This tournament marks Advocaat's third World Cup as a head coach.

He previously guided the Netherlands to the quarterfinals at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and coached South Korea at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Curaçao, with a population of just 150,000, is making its first-ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup.

The team secured its berth last November when it drew 0-0 with Jamaica at Independence Park in Kingston. Going into that final Group B qualifier, Curaçao and Jamaica were separated by just one point at the top of the standings. The draw was enough for Curaçao to finish first with three wins and three draws — 12 points — and claim an automatic spot at the 2026 North America World Cup.

According to AP, Curaçao is the least populous country ever to qualify for a World Cup. The previous record holder was Iceland, which competed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a population of around 350,000.

Advocaat has also etched his name into the record books as the oldest head coach in World Cup history.

Born in 1947, Advocaat is 78 years old. No other coach at this tournament comes close to his age: Czech Republic's Miroslav Koubek was born in September 1951 and will not turn 75 for another three months, while South Africa's Hugo Broos, born in April 1952, is 74.