Dick Advocaat wept as Curacao's anthem echoed around Houston Stadium before the island team's first World Cup match.
The veteran Dutch coach later spoke of the "joy of the people" on the island of around 150,000 at seeing their team make history.
Barely 24 hours later in Atlanta, Cabo Verde's players and supporters were singing and dancing after holding European champion Spain to a goalless draw.
Five days into the tournament, the World Cup's newest arrivals are proving difficult to ignore.
The opening week has provided FIFA with early evidence that the expanded 48-team format has enriched rather than diluted the tournament.
Average crowds exceeded 63,000 across the opening eight matches, according to FIFA, while early television ratings have been encouraging. The tournament's attendance record of 3.5 million, set at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, is already under threat.
The matches have helped support that view.
Sunday alone produced 19 goals, the highest single-day tally at the World Cup since 1962. Germany beat Curacao 7-1 in Houston, Sweden defeated Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey, Japan drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in Dallas, and Cote d'Ivoire edged Ecuador 1-0 in Philadelphia.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament had exceeded expectations after drawing large crowds and producing competitive matches across the three host countries.
He pointed to Qatar's 1-1 draw with Switzerland in San Francisco as a sign of football's growing competitiveness.
"Because we know that football today has become very, very competitive everywhere in the world," Infantino said.
"Everyone can play football, and this is thanks to the work that you are all doing in your respective countries [and regions]."
That has been clear in the opening week.
Morocco held Brazil to a draw, Canada drew with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Japan twice came from behind to claim a point against the Netherlands.
Yet no result has so far captured the tournament's mood quite like Cabo Verde's draw with Spain. A country of just over half a million people, Cabo Verde arrived at its first World Cup as one of four debutants in football's showpiece.
It left Atlanta Stadium with a result that will be remembered long after the competition ends.
Spain's wealth of attacking talent could not find a way past 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha and a defense that remained organized from the first whistle to the last.
Vozinha, who plays for Portuguese second-tier club Chaves, made several key saves before halftime, denying Ferran Torres and Aymeric Laporte. Teenage star Lamine Yamal came on in the second half, but Cabo Verde refused to yield.
When the match ended, the African team's players embraced on the field while supporters celebrated in the stands.
"This means everything for our country," head coach Bubista said.
"We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our team, and we have shown organization and braveness and this is proof of what our country is about – resilience and to try to overcome hardships."
Defender Steven Moreira called the result "a dream" while Vozinha, named player of the match, said it showed his team deserved to be playing on football's biggest stage.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente offered the simplest summary. "Football is like that – there are no small opponents here," he said.
Curacao's story unfolded differently, but carried a similar message. Right-back Livano Comenencia delivered another landmark moment when his 21st-minute equalizer against Germany marked the team's first goal at a World Cup finals.
The four-time world champion's quality eventually told, but the achievement was not lost on Curacao's passionate fans, or Advocaat.
"We need to turn this into a beautiful tournament," he said. "We can have a surprise in the second and third match. In the end we will be glad we were part of the biggest football tournament in the world."
The 78-year-old, who became the oldest coach in a World Cup fixture, said pride mattered more than the scoreline.
"It was fantastic to see the joy of the people," he said. "The result was not a disgrace. I think we can still be proud."
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann praised Curacao's approach.
"The opponent played better than many had expected in Germany," he said. "They played with a lot of courage."
Australia's opening victory over Türkiye provided another reminder of the tournament's depth.
Manager Tony Popovic put his trust in youth and was rewarded with a 2-0 win. Twenty-year-old Nestory Irankunda opened the scoring, while 22-year-old goalkeeper Patrick Beach justified his selection ahead of captain Mathew Ryan with a clean sheet.
"They may be shocks for a lot of people, but not shocks within our playing group or staff because we're all working together every day and we can see the quality of these young boys," Popovic said.
Sweden also made an early statement with its 5-1 victory over Tunisia, while Cote d'Ivoire ended Ecuador's 19-match unbeaten run and Japan showed resilience in its draw with the Netherlands.
The 2026 tournament has brought four new teams to the World Cup. Alongside Curacao and Cabo Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan qualified for the finals for the first time.
Uzbekistan became the first Central Asian team to reach the tournament, while Jordan continued a rise that began with its run to the 2023 Asian Cup final.
The opening week has also shown they are adding more than numbers.
Fan festivals and watch parties have drawn large crowds, filling public spaces from Zocalo square in Mexico City to New York's Times Square.
Infantino said one aspect had stood out in particular.
"What I was positively surprised with was the atmosphere – you see so many children, so many families coming to watch these games," he said.
"We had, you know, very peaceful environments, very festive environments, starting from Mexico City to all the other places. And this is what this World Cup is about."
Iran captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh expressed a similar idea before his team's opening match against New Zealand.
"As individuals and as a team we would like to show that football unites the world and football unites people," he said.
Five days into the first 48-team edition of the 96-year-old tournament, FIFA has the attendance figures, the goals and the atmosphere it hoped for.
Just as importantly, it has the stories.
From Advocaat's tears to Cabo Verde's celebrations, the newcomers have shown that the World Cup can broaden its horizons without losing what made it special.
- Newcomers
- World Cup
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
