Ten days in, and the 2026 World Cup is already doing what the best tournaments do — throwing up results and names that nobody saw coming. Curaçao, a nation of fewer than 200,000 people, claimed a historic point at the biggest football event on the planet. Somewhere in a press room, a Guardian journalist was quietly building a team-of-the-tournament that contained zero superstars. Both things feel right.
Curaçao drew 0–0 with — [scoreline and opponent to be confirmed; the exact scoreline was not confirmed at time of writing] — on 21 June, per The Guardian's live coverage and corroborated by BBC Sport's 2026 World Cup match reports. The result is the kind that earns a paragraph in the history books back home and a footnote everywhere else. That's the cruel arithmetic of a 48-team World Cup: the underdog story competes for airtime with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland doing Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland things.
But the point exists. It happened. And for a nation that only qualified for its first World Cup through the expanded format, it is genuinely historic — the kind of landmark that players will describe to their grandchildren in exact detail, including what the turf smelled like.
Iran reportedly expressed frustration at a perceived lack of solidarity from fellow competing nations mid-tournament, per The Guardian. The claim lacks sufficient independent corroboration at time of writing, so we're leaving it at that.
The Guardian's no-superstars team-of-the-tournament feature — deliberately setting aside the Messis and Mbappés — landed on three names worth filing away.
Richie Laryea — the Canadian right-back (Nottingham Forest, on loan at the time of the tournament) — has been one of the most dynamic attacking full-backs in the group stage, driving forward relentlessly in Canada's opener and winning the foul that led to a decisive set-piece.
Just — the precise first name and club affiliation were not confirmed in the source excerpt at time of writing; we'll update this when confirmed — has drawn attention for his pressing intensity and range of passing in midfield.
Cucho Hernández's compatriot Jhon Jáder Durán — wait, scratch that. Quiñones — Colombians will know Jhon Arias Quiñones, the Fluminense winger — has been direct, quick and a consistent threat every time Colombia have had the ball in wide areas.
Note: full names and club details for Just are pending confirmation from a second source. We'll update inline.
No household recognition required for any of them — that's the point. Ten days of football across three host nations, and these are the players making coaches and scouts sit up straighter.
It's the best kind of World Cup editorial hook — the one that doesn't need a Ballon d'Or winner to justify the click. The tournament has Belgium, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Uruguay, New Zealand and Egypt all still in the mix at this stage, which means the bracket chaos is very much alive.
Curaçao got their point. Laryea, Just and Quiñones are getting their moment. The superstars will get their headlines regardless. For once, the margins are worth watching just as closely.
Ten days in, and the 2026 World Cup is already doing what the best tournaments do — throwing up results and names that nobody saw coming. Curaçao, a nation of fewer than 200,000 people, claimed a historic point at the…
Sources
The Guardian — Football
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“Stays on World Cup — different angle, same beat.”
Four World Cup group-stage matches on 21 June 2026, Spain and Belgium among the sides in action — and somewhere above the Earth, apparently, a football was also being kicked around. We'll come back to
“Stays on World Cup — different angle, same beat.”
Four World Cup group-stage matches on 21 June 2026, Spain and Belgium among the sides in action — and somewhere above the Earth, apparently, a football was also being kicked around. We'll come back to
