The smallest nation at the FIFA Men’s World Cup is preparing to head to North America - but not before the squad have prayed and sung worship together.
Curaçao players, family, staff and supporters came together during their training camp in the Netherlands for a powerful moment of spiritual unity and lifting Jesus’ name.
The Blue Wave, as the team is nicknamed, sang songs such as ‘Goodness of God’, ‘Praise’ and ‘Jireh’ at the event with Presence Revival in Noordwijk.
Players prayed together arm-in-arm as they prepared for the biggest tournament in the nation’s footballing history, with the autonomous Dutch island in the south Caribbean only becoming a FIFA member in 2011.
Winger Kenji Gorré shared his testimony about thinking he was a Christian but feeling “something missing inside,” despite success on and off the field. He shared a conversation with fellow footballer John Bostock, founder of Ballers in God, where he was confused at the question 'When did you give your life to Christ?’
“That’s when I heard the gospel for the first time. There was something that shifted inside my heart, and I said ‘this man has something within him that I don't have’. Now I know… it is the Holy Spirit”, he said, a moment which prompted a search for God.
“I looked out, and I said ‘God, you are not just out there, but you are in me’, and that was a revelation”, Gorré concluded.
Several players have come to know Jesus in recent years, while others have been Christians longer, according to Presence Revival.
“We’ve rarely seen anything quite like this at international level," read a post from Ballers in God.
“This goes deeper than football. Most national teams prepare for tournaments by focusing on tactics, fitness, and team chemistry. While those things matter, Curaçao’s players are also building spiritual unity. They’re making it clear that their identity isn’t ultimately found in results, selection, or success on the pitch, but in Christ,” it added.
Curaçao’s players have publicly prayed and sung worship on their way to qualifying for the tournament. On the game which sealed The Blue Wave's place, captain Leandro Bacuna told FIFA.com: “I think God was with us that night. Because you’ve seen the game, everyone’s seen the game. Couple of balls on the post … Everywhere. But our keeper was great, so I think it was meant for us. It was a story written for us.”
Curaçao face a challenge if they are to make it out of the group, having been drawn against Germany, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast.