How Curaçao and Cape Verde Made the World Cup Feel Bigger

Years from now, when the 2026 World Cup is revisited, which images and moments will stand above the rest?

There will be no shortage of contenders.

Spain toppling defending champion Argentina. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland battling for the Golden Boot. Scotland’s Tartan Army seemingly draining Boston of its beer. Norway fans bringing the Viking Row to a global audience.

This was the largest World Cup in history, the first to feature 48 teams, and for 39 unforgettable days it held the attention of billions. The U.S. men’s national team did not make the deep run many hoped for, but it still helped spark a renewed wave of interest in soccer across the country. The true legacy of that group will take years to measure, though its influence on young players and new fans may become clearer with time.

There were enough storylines to fill an entire summer and then some. Yet one of the most powerful themes was how smaller nations embraced the stage, delivering some of the tournament’s most memorable and emotional performances.

FIFA’s decision to expand the field from 32 to 48 teams was met with plenty of doubt. Some feared the added teams would weaken the level of play, while others questioned whether fans would care about those matchups. Instead, the expanded format injected new life into the tournament, giving more countries the chance to showcase their cultures, their heroes and their defining World Cup moments.

The tournament’s most lopsided result did come when Germany beat World Cup debutant Curaçao 7-1 in their group stage opener. But for Curaçao, the smallest nation in the competition, simply being there carried enormous meaning. The island has a population of roughly 158,000 and covers 171 square miles, making it seven times smaller than Rhode Island. It is also a soccer-mad country, and thousands of its supporters were in attendance to watch their team face the four-time world champions.

Germany took a 1-0 lead six minutes in, but in the 21st, Curaçao midfielder Livano Comenencia made history by scoring his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal. And for the next 17 minutes, the game was tied.

“We fought so hard to be here,” Comenencia said after the match. “It’s just beautiful my dream actually came true.”

Then there was the game goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 spectacular saves to lead Curaçao to a 1-1 draw against Ecuador and secure their first-ever point in the tournament. Room’s performance was legendary and goes down as the second-most saves in a single World Cup game behind Tim Howard’s 16 against Belgium in 2014.

Telling the story of Curacao’s journey to the World Cup was one of my all-time favorite pieces as part of our coverage. It was fascinating to learn that the entire team except for one player was born in the Netherlands, and how each of them made a conscious decision to build something in their homeland. The work paid off, and they’ve inspired future generations to keep it going.

There was also Cape Verde’s remarkable and improbable run in its first World Cup. While on the way to a USA training in Seattle, my Uber driver told me he was from Cameroon and had never even heard of Cape Verde. By now, of course, everyone has.

Cape Verde tied all three of their group stage matches, including holding eventual champion Spain to a scoreless draw. Goalkeeper Vozinha became an instant folk hero, making seven heroic saves in that game. The Blue Sharks were the only team that La Roja did not beat.

Later on during the round of 32 match against Argentina — because yes, Cape Verde made it to the knockout stage in their first-ever World Cup — Vozinha was magnificent again. He repeatedly denied some of the world’s greatest players, including Messi. And when Sidney Lopes Cabral scored a stunning equalizer in extra time, the cameras cut to a section of their supporters who were all losing their minds.

For a few minutes, it felt like things were heading towards a penalty shootout until an own goal gave Argentina the 3-2 victory.

The entire team was a joy to watch and Vozinha in particular — who, by the way, is 40 years old and saw a surge of some 20 million followers on social media — reportedly swapped jerseys with Messi afterward.

Curaçao and Cape Verde made the most headlines, but other nations left their mark, too. DR Congo tied Portugal in its opener and made England nervous in the round of 32. Egypt advanced to the round of 16 by upsetting Australia on penalties before pushing Argentina to the brink in a 3-2 loss. Paraguay beat Germany in a penalty shootout in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in the knockout stage, before narrowly losing 1-0 to France in the round of 16. 

And so while we’ll think of Spain winning its second-ever World Cup title and maybe seeing Messi on this stage for the last time, we’ll also remember the countries who made significant strides and delivered unforgettable performances. 

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