June 13, 2026
The latest country to make its World Cup debut will also have the oldest coach ever in the tournament when Curacao plays traditional powerhouse Germany in a Group E match on Sunday in Houston.
At 78, Dutch-born Dick Advocaat will become the oldest on the bench and will end the musical chairs of record-holders already in the early stages of this World Cup.
In fact, the record was set twice Thursday, first by South Africa's 74-year-old Hugo Broos (born April 10, 1952) vs. Mexico. Later, Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek took the temporary title against South Korea. He is also 74 years old but was born on Sept. 1, 1951.
Rest assured, no other coach in the World Cup is older than Advocaat, who took over the Curacao program in January 2024 and coached them to 28 goals in 10 qualifying matches, the most among all CONCACAF teams.
