Curaçao, a Caribbean island of just over 150,000 people, would be one of the great World Cup debutant stories — proof of how far the expanded tournament reaches.

The road ahead

Group game 1 · Sun 14 June

at Germany1–7 L

Group game 2 · Sat 20 June

at Ecuador0–0 D

Group game 3 · Thu 25 June

vs Côte d'Ivoire0–2 L

Three group games are guaranteed; the knockout steps unlock as the team advances.