Deniz Undav found the net in the 78th minute of Germany’s World Cup opener against Curaçao on June 14, 2026. Then he did something that mattered far more than the goal itself.
The Stuttgart forward broke into a traditional Kurdish govend dance on the pitch in Houston, Texas, with teammate Antonio Rüdiger joining in. It was a celebration that carried the weight of a family’s multi-generational journey from southeastern Turkey to the biggest stage in world football.
Germany won the match 7-1, a statement result to kick off their Group E campaign. Undav, who entered as a substitute, contributed a goal and two assists.
A first for Kurdish heritage on football’s biggest stage
Undav is the first player of Kurdish-Yazidi heritage to score in a FIFA World Cup. Born on July 19, 1996, in Varel, Germany, Undav is the grandson of a man who emigrated from Turkey after the 1980 military coup. His parents come from the village of Işıklı in the Viranşehir district of Turkey, a region home to a significant Yazidi Kurdish population.
