Curaçao National Team Unites in Worship Before 2026 World Cup

Published: June 15, 2026

soccer — Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash

By Mallory Mattingly

In their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, No. 82 Curaçao will face No. 10 Germany, which is very much like a David vs. Goliath battle.

However, that match-up didn’t stop Curaçao from praising God.

“The Curaçao national team gathered with @presencerevival to worship Jesus and give all glory to God before heading to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the US,” Presence Revival shared on social media.

“Win or lose at the World Cup, they’ve already shown what it looks like to put God first,” the post continued. “God is moving powerfully among this team. Several players have come to know Jesus personally in recent years. Others have been walking with Him for longer and are unashamed to share their faith. Their testimonies are impacting lives both on and off the pitch.”

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Curaçao’s star player Kenji Gorré was front and center, singing every word to the song that Presence Revival led. Gorré is “living in victory” and is ready for whatever happens during the World Cup.

“May His will be done 🙏🏽,” the forward shared in a post on Instagram.

He then quoted Psalms‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, which reads, “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

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Faith takes the No. 1 spot for other players, too, including US goalkeeper Matt Freese.

“You know, vocally I say it out loud, I always remind myself that God’s got me and God’s looking over me and watching over me,” Freese said on the Sports Spectrum “What’s Up” podcast.

“And then the second, and this is a very big way that I think faith has motivated me, as well as, you know, kind of guided my career and my soccer journey, is that I think God’s given me so many opportunities in general, but let’s just say, focus on soccer, God’s giving me so many opportunities within this game and within my career,” he continued.

“I still have a role to play in that, you know, I still have to do my part, take that opportunity and do something with it,” the goalkeeper concluded. “I can’t just sit there and not work hard or not use the lessons that God enabled my parents to teach me, which is hard work and teamwork and selflessness, and so you know, I just constantly remind myself that there is also a role that I have to play, an active role that I have to play through gratitude for these opportunities.”