Curaçao's Livano Comenencia provided a highlight and hope for the smallest country in World Cup history.
Germany then responded to Curaçao's first World Cup goal with an onslaught of scoring, turning an expected rout into an actual one with a 7-1 win on Sunday in Houston.
Curaçao got a memory that won't be soon forgotten in the island nation of about 156,000 people.
Germany rallied after Curaçao's tying goal, earning the start it wanted after it failed
to get out of the group stage in the previous two World Cups.
Later Sunday, Ivory Coast pulled off arguably the biggest upset so far in the World Cup, beating Ecuador on Amad Diallo's goal in the 90th minute in Philadelphia.
The Ivorians had not played in the World Cup since 2014 and made the most of it by ending Ecuador's 19-game unbeaten streak.
Japan had an unforgettable moment of its own to open the World Cup.
Trailing the Netherlands 2-1, Daichi Kamada's header in the 88th minute earned the Japanese a 2-2 draw in Arlington, Texas, that sent the Samurai Blue fans into a frenzy and left the orange-clad Dutch fans in disbelief.
— Spain vs. Cape Verde, noon EDT in Atlanta (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Belgium vs. Egypt, 3 p.m. EDT in Seattle (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, 6 p.m. EDT in Miami Gardens, Florida (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Iran vs. New Zealand, 9 p.m. EDT in Inglewood, California (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
Iran changed its training site from Arizona to Mexico due to the war with the U.S., had to deal with visa delays for several members of its entourage and will only be permitted to travel to the U.S. on game days.
Through all the turmoil, the Iranians will finally take the field for its World Cup opener against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Iran is in its fourth straight World Cup, but has yet to get past the group stage. Breaking through in the homeland of the country it's been warring with — not to mention overcoming myriad obstacles — would be a huge accomplishment.
New Zealand arrives in Southern California as the lowest-ranked team in the World Cup and also is seeking to reach the knockout stage for the first time after failing in two previous attempts.
The Kiwis will be led by all-time leading scorer Chris Wood, who has been slowed by a knee injury with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Spain will have its full roster available against Cape Verde, though coach Luis de la Fuente may hold several key players out of the starting lineup in what's expected to be a lopsided opener in Atlanta.
Víctor Muñoz, Nico Williams and teen phenom Lamine Yamal returned to training this week after dealing with various injuries while playing for their club teams.
The star-studded Spaniards are among the favorites to win their second World Cup — after 2010 — while Cape Verde has been projected to finish last in Group H in its first World Cup.
Yamal will get a chance to show the world why he's been touted as the next player to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer’s biggest star. He became the youngest player to play for Barcelona at 15, was the 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up and led Barcelona to the 2026 La Liga title with 16 goals and 11 assists.
The 18-year-old suffered a left hamstring injury on April 22, but sat out the rest of the season in hopes of being ready for the World Cup. He was declared fit by Spain's coach on the eve of Spain's opener.
The Group G game between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle will feature two star players hoping to make a mark in the later stages of their careers.
Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne and Egypt's Mohamed Salah have been stars for their national teams, yet both are coming off difficult seasons.
The 34-year-old De Bruyne was a two-time Premier League player of the year at Manchester City, leading the club to six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League trophy.
De Bruyne moved to Serie A club Napoli last season, but a serious thigh injury suffered in October knocked him out until March.
Salah has been a star for Egypt, but has yet to lead his country past the group stage. Egypt didn't register a point in 2018 and failed to qualify in 2022.
Salah, who turns 34 on Monday, led Liverpool to two Premier League titles, but had an emotional farewell in his final game before leaving the club after nine seasons.
“I played against Mo for 10 years,” De Bruyne said. “Our kids also went to the same school, so I saw him from time to time. And, he’s a really nice guy, so it will be nice to see him. It will be nice to compete again like old times.”
Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history in Qatar 2022, knocking off eventual champion Argentina in its opening match.
Duplicating it in this year's opener will be tough.
The Saudis open this year's tournament in South Florida against Uruguay, a two-time World Cup champion that reached the quarterfinals in 2018.
Saudi Arabia also will be playing under a new coach in Georgios Donis, who was appointed in April after a sudden managerial change.
— World Cup referee Omar Artan will receive full fee from FIFA despite being denied entry to the US
— Justin Trudeau skipped Canada World Cup opener because girlfriend Katy Perry performed at US game
— UEFA head Čeferin criticized for allegedly saying expanded World Cup creates uninteresting matches
— Day 4 of the World Cup, in photos
The match between Germany and Curaçao featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history. Curaçao’s Dick Advocaat is 78 and Germany's Julian Nagelsmann is 38.
___
AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle contributed to this report.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
