Curacao are preparing for a historic World Cup debut against four-time champions Germany, with Dick Advocaat insisting his team will not be overawed. The tournament newcomers face Germany in Houston, where the smallest nation ever to qualify aims to unsettle one of international football’s traditional powers on the global stage.

Germany enter this fixture with deep World Cup experience, appearing at the tournament for the 21st time. That total is the highest for any European side and is exceeded only by Brazil, who have qualified on 23 occasions. Curacao, meanwhile, step into this environment for the very first time.

On the touchline, the match delivers a rare coaching contrast. Advocaat, aged 78 years and 260 days, becomes the oldest coach in World Cup history. Opposite Advocaat stands Julian Nagelsmann, the tournament’s youngest coach, creating an age difference of 39 years and 299 days between the two managers.

Advocaat, who earlier resigned after Curacao’s qualification before returning to the role, spoke with respect about Nagelsmann’s rise. “He’s a young coach, young and famous,” Advocaat told reporters, as quoted by ESPN. “To already become the coach of the national team, you must have something special, and he has that. We will make life very difficult for him, at least that’s what we try. But he’s an excellent coach.”

The age gap between Advocaat and Nagelsmann is the largest recorded between two head coaches facing each other at any World Cup. That statistic underlines the generational contrast between Germany’s modern tactical mind and Curacao’s vastly experienced leader, who has managed at club and international level across several decades.

Nagelsmann was asked whether coaching into the late seventies appealed. The Germany coach answered with honesty and praise for his counterpart. “Not really. I love my job, but I hope I have some different things to do at [that] age. Dick Advocaat is a brilliant guy. I think he’s a really cool coach [who’s done] a brilliant job in Curacao. It’s incredible history that they qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and it’s also a great compliment for his work. It’s always [good] to talk to people with such experience. Me, as a young coach, I can always learn from people like him.”

Curacao vs Germany World Cup spotlight on Manuel Neuer

Germany will also rely on experience on the pitch, with Manuel Neuer cleared to start after fitness checks. Nagelsmann confirmed the Bayern Munich goalkeeper’s status, as Neuer returns from international retirement to feature again on football’s biggest stage for the national team.

Neuer, a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, is set to reach another personal milestone. The goalkeeper is on course to become only the second German to appear at five World Cups, after Lothar Matthaus. Neuer would also join Mexico’s Antonio Carbajal as just the second goalkeeper to feature in five editions.

For Curacao, this opener against Germany marks a record-setting introduction, with a tiny nation stepping into a fixture rich in history. For Germany, it offers another chapter in a long World Cup story, shaped by seasoned figures like Advocaat and Neuer, and guided by Nagelsmann’s modern approach.