It appears that Americans have reached their limit regarding the practice of tipping.

After years of being prompted to provide tips in a variety of contexts—from coffee shops and takeout counters to ride-sharing services and self-service kiosks—many individuals are expressing fatigue. This sentiment has led to a noticeable decline in tipping, with consumers leaving fewer gratuities than they did just a year prior.

A recent national survey reveals that 78 percent of Americans consider the current tipping culture to be ‘out of control.’ Nearly half of the respondents admitted to reducing their tipping habits in 2026, as financial strains increasingly affect household budgets.

The survey, conducted by restaurant tech firm Popmenu, indicates a rising discontent towards persistent requests for additional payments amid escalating costs.

Among the 1,000 adults surveyed, 44 percent reported they are tipping less in 2026 compared to their habits in 2025.

Retail analyst Neil Saunders told Daily Mail that consumers are increasingly frustrated by both the size of expected tips and the growing number of situations in which they are asked to leave them. 

‘There is growing resentment over tipping, which is partly driven by the fact everyone is feeling squeezed financially,’ Saunders said. 

According to the survey, restaurants have been hit hardest by the backlash, with 35 percent of respondents saying they have reduced tips when dining out. 

A new nationwide survey found that 78 percent of Americans believe tipping culture has become ‘ridiculous’

Grocery delivery services followed at 24 percent, while hotels, ride-share services, auto repair businesses and hair salons also saw notable declines.

The research points to growing ‘tipping fatigue’ among consumers who are grappling with higher costs for food, housing, utilities and other everyday expenses.

Many Americans say digital payment systems have only made the problem worse.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they have noticed restaurants increasing suggested tip amounts on checkout screens, with many establishments now prompting customers to leave 15 percent, 20 percent or even 25 percent gratuities.

While 59 percent of consumers still say they feel pressured to tip when presented with a digital prompt, that figure has fallen from 66 percent just six months ago, suggesting people are becoming more comfortable clicking ‘no tip.’

In fact, 42 percent of respondents said they now feel increasingly comfortable skipping gratuities altogether for services where tipping was not traditionally expected.

Consumers also reported spending less on what they considered unnecessary tips. 

Over the past year, respondents estimated spending around $130 on gratuities they felt were unwarranted, down from $150 in a similar survey conducted in late 2025.

Just a decade ago, 15 percent was considered the standard tip for average service. Now, that number has spiked to 20 percent or often more

Only 41 percent of diners now tip restaurant servers 20 percent or more, down from 45 percent last year

Retail analyst Neil Saunders told Daily Mail that consumers are increasingly frustrated by both the size of expected tips and the growing number of situations in which they are asked to leave them

The trend is also showing up in restaurants.

Only 41 percent of diners now tip restaurant servers 20 percent or more, down from 45 percent last year. 

The decline was even sharper for food delivery drivers, with the share of customers tipping 20 percent or higher dropping from 23 percent to 15 percent.

Even traditionally tip-friendly venues are seeing pullbacks. The percentage of consumers who tip at coffee shops fell from 46 percent to 39 percent over the past six months, while tipping at food trucks and fast-food restaurants also declined.

Popmenu CEO Brendan Sweeney said workers who rely on gratuities are increasingly feeling the impact.

‘Tip-reliant professions are feeling the financial impact of tipping fatigue more than anyone,’ Sweeney said. ‘This is compounded by customers having less disposable income due to inflated costs for food, energy and other necessities.’

‘One is the level of tips, which seem to be getting higher and higher,’ said Saunders. ‘Adding 25 percent on top of the cost of a meal seems excessive to many, and it adds a huge amount to the price.’

He added that consumers are also objecting to being asked to tip for services that traditionally did not warrant one.

‘The other dimension is being asked to tip for things where only basic service has been provided. Customers collecting their own food from restaurants, for being served in a retail store, and so forth all feel unnatural and unreasonable.’

Despite the backlash, many consumers remain open to alternative compensation models.

More than half of respondents said they would be willing to pay higher menu prices if it meant restaurant workers received better wages and tipping could be eliminated altogether.

This weekend, Kim Kardashian made a stylish statement with a series of Gucci ensembles.

The 45-year-old Skims entrepreneur sported exclusively Gucci over three days at the Monaco Grand Prix, where she was there to support her boyfriend, Lewis Hamilton, from the Ferrari paddock. Hamilton, 41, secured a second-place finish on Sunday and acknowledged Kardashian with a kiss from the podium, which she captured on her phone.

Arriving in Monte Carlo on Friday, Kardashian showcased a bold black leather look, featuring a Gucci racing jacket, form-fitting pants, and a Lunetta handbag priced at $1,600.

The following day, she transitioned from leather to lace, donning a sheer black lace bodysuit. She paired it with low-rise flared jeans adorned with horsebit details, priced at $1,700, and accessorized with Y2K-inspired sunglasses and pointed-toe pumps with horsebit accents. Her sister, Khloé Kardashian, 41, joined her at the event.

On race day, Kardashian stepped up her fashion game in a cream-colored, asymmetric backless dress, a custom piece inspired by a red design from Gucci’s resort collection. She completed her ensemble with Gucci stiletto pumps and oversized purple-tinted sunglasses with metallic frames.

After the race, Kardashian celebrated Hamilton’s finish on a yacht in Gucci’s backless thong dress, which Kate Moss wore on the runway in February to close the first runway show from creative director Demna. The look is a nod to the Tom Ford-era G-string that debuted on the house’s spring 1997 catwalk.

Kardashian’s all-Gucci weekend comes as the fashion house deepens its ties to Formula 1. The Italian brand recently announced a partnership with F1 team Alpine, with the team set to race as “Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team” beginning in 2027.

Hamilton, meanwhile, drives for team Ferrari, meaning Kardashian was repping one of her boyfriend’s future rivals on the grid.

Kardashian and Hamilton first sparked dating rumors in February after a romantic weekend at the Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds. They went public at the Super Bowl later that month and made the relationship Instagram-official in April, when Hamilton posted a video of them cruising in a Ferrari F40 at a Tokyo racetrack.

An offshore earthquake of magnitude 7.8 rocked the southern Philippines on Monday, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 32 lives. The powerful quake left more than 200 individuals injured, predominantly due to collapsing structures, and unleashed a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami that reached nearby coastlines.

In the city of General Santos, numerous low-rise buildings either crumbled or suffered significant damage, while a coastal village in the south also reported tsunami-induced destruction. The seismic waves extended their reach, albeit with diminished intensity, to locations such as Indonesia, Palau, and even as far as southern Japan.

Adding to the calamity, the earthquake triggered a landslide in Glan, a municipality within Sarangani province, which claimed the lives of 13 villagers. Rene Punzalan, a provincial disaster mitigation official, relayed this information during an interview with the DZBB radio network. Additionally, four more fatalities were reported in other areas of Sarangani.

This seismic event marks the most intense earthquake to strike the Philippines this year, according to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Bacolcol cautioned the public about the possibility of aftershocks and urged them to consult experts before re-entering any compromised buildings or homes that might still pose a risk of collapse.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 200 others. (AP Images)

The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, said it was coordinating with Manila and was ready to support Philippine response efforts. France and New Zealand also expressed support.

“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press from General Santos, where he was traveling when the quake struck at 7:37 a.m.

“The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets,” Sosmeña said.

More than 100 students in uniforms and a dozen teachers had gathered for a flag-raising ceremony in a coconut tree-ringed grade school compound in the rural town of Malita in Davao Occidental province when the ground shook, turning the first day of school after a two-month summer break into chaos.

“Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma,” school principal Rosavel Cachuela told the AP.

Some of the young students screamed in panic and wept but mostly remained seated and still, preventing any injuries, Cachuela said, adding that a motorcycle was damaged when a shed crumbled to the ground.

At least 12 people remained missing in General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and a regional hub for the tuna export industry. Search and rescue teams scrambled to find people who may have been trapped in a supermarket, a warehouse, a grade school, and other small buildings that either collapsed or were severely damaged, officials said.

Building sustained considerable damage after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck General Santos in the southern Philippines on Monday. (AP Images)

The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake and 17 domestic flights were canceled, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

The quake was centered at sea off Mindanao, the second most populous island in the Philippine archipelago. According to Bacolcol, the quake occurred at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces, saying “the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake. Philippine officials also lifted a tsunami warning by mid-afternoon. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur province due to the quake and taller waves, officials said.

Aside from the landslide in Sarangani, most of the other deaths were caused by collapsing buildings and falling debris, including in a damaged mosque, in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, according to Sosmeña and another disaster-mitigation official, Ednar Dayanghirang.

Search and rescue teams looked for missing people in General Santos, Philippines, after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on June 8, 2025. (AP Images)

The DZRH radio network in Manila reported that a four-story commercial building where its provincial station was located partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries.

Waves of 1 meter (3 feet) were monitored in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. A 1.4-meter (4.6-foot) wave hit at one time in Kiamba town, Bacolcol said.

The quake was also felt in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island. Sabah is just a boat ride away from southern Philippines. An 83-centimeter (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured by a gauge off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, and the PTWC said 30-centimeter (1-foot) waves were measured in Palau.

Waves up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) were detected on the remote Japanese island of Chichijima and the central Japanese town of Kushimoto, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.

A powerful offshore earthquake, registering a magnitude of 7.8, struck the southern Philippines on Monday, resulting in at least 32 fatalities and over 200 injuries, primarily due to collapsed buildings. The tremor also triggered a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami that impacted nearby coastal areas.

In the city of General Santos, numerous low-rise structures either collapsed or were severely damaged. Tsunami-related damages were reported in a southern coastal village, while smaller waves reached as far as Indonesia, Palau, and southern Japan.

In the municipality of Glan, Sarangani province, the earthquake induced a landslide that claimed the lives of 13 villagers, according to Rene Punzalan, a provincial disaster-mitigation official who spoke to the DZBB radio network. Additionally, four other villagers lost their lives in Sarangani.

This seismic event is the most significant to affect the Philippines this year, according to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Bacolcol cautioned residents to seek professional guidance before re-entering damaged buildings, citing the risk of collapse from potential aftershocks.

The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, announced its cooperation with Manila and readiness to assist in the response efforts. France and New Zealand also offered their support.

“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press from General Santos, where he was traveling when the quake struck at 7:37 a.m.

“The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets,” Sosmeña said.

More than 100 students in uniforms and a dozen teachers had gathered for a flag-raising ceremony in a coconut tree-ringed grade school compound in the rural town of Malita in Davao Occidental province when the ground shook, turning the first day of school after a two-month summer break into chaos.

“Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma,” school principal Rosavel Cachuela told the AP.

Some of the young students screamed in panic and wept but mostly remained seated and still, preventing any injuries, Cachuela said, adding that a motorcycle was damaged when a shed crumbled to the ground.

At least 12 people remained missing in General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and a regional hub for the tuna export industry. Search and rescue teams scrambled to find people who may have been trapped in a supermarket, a warehouse, a grade school, and other small buildings that either collapsed or were severely damaged, officials said.

The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake and 17 domestic flights were canceled, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

The quake was centered at sea off Mindanao, the second most populous island in the Philippine archipelago. According to Bacolcol, the quake occurred at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces, saying “the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake. Philippine officials also lifted a tsunami warning by mid-afternoon. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur province due to the quake and taller waves, officials said.

Aside from the landslide in Sarangani, most of the other deaths were caused by collapsing buildings and falling debris, including in a damaged mosque, in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, according to Sosmeña and another disaster-mitigation official, Ednar Dayanghirang.

The DZRH radio network in Manila reported that a four-story commercial building where its provincial station was located partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries.

Waves of 1 meter (3 feet) were monitored in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. A 1.4-meter (4.6-foot) wave hit at one time in Kiamba town, Bacolcol said.

The quake was also felt in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island. Sabah is just a boat ride away from southern Philippines. An 83-centimeter (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured by a gauge off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, and the PTWC said 30-centimeter (1-foot) waves were measured in Palau.

Waves up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) were detected on the remote Japanese island of Chichijima and the central Japanese town of Kushimoto, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.

___

Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and global executive producer Kiko Rosario in Bangkok contributed to this report.

A former close associate of Bill Gates, previously connected to Jeffrey Epstein, has reportedly shared details of her personal relationship with the tech mogul to the notorious financier.

Dr. Melanie S. Walker began her tenure at Gates’ philanthropic foundation in 2006 after developing a connection with Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky.

During her time at the foundation, Walker was instrumental in introducing Gates and several of his colleagues to Jeffrey Epstein, the infamous financier.

The Wall Street Journal reports that in 2017, Walker transitioned from her role at the foundation to Gates’ private office, where a personal relationship between them began.

The publication cites emails and text messages found in Justice Department files, revealing that Walker had discussed her relationship with Gates in communications with Epstein.

In January 2017 Epstein asked her directly if the two had sex, she responded that they had not but had ‘went crazy on the whiteboard’ while Gates’s staff stood outside. 

‘We did have about three minutes at the beginning to take a deep breath and just stand there together’, Walker added. It is unclear what she meant. 

She went on to tell Epstein that Gates complained ‘about being too old and I said he was still a little too young for me.’

In one email, sent in July 2017, she texted Epstein that Gates was ‘very gross’ and ‘not the person ppl think’.

She also described Gates as being a ‘huge distraction’ and that she felt ‘trapped’ and even apologized to Epstein after Gates was allegedly ‘mean’ to him. 

Dr. Melanie S. Walker started working for Gates’s foundation in 2006 after striking up a relationship with Microsoft exec Steven Sinofsky

Gates, seen here in January of this year, has expressed regret of his relationship with Epstein

In September she was to meet with Gates and the CEO of his private office Larry Cohen and went to Epstein directly over how to make them agree to her proposals.

‘Are there any signals I can send or words I can use to let him and [Bill Gates] know I’m not messing around?’, she texted Epstein. 

He responded: ‘With [Bill Gates]. All you would have to say, is you should know that I’ve told Jeffrey everything – everything.’

‘I’m worried he will immediately retaliate against me’, she responded, to which he replied: ‘You can always say I also like blue dresses.’

After the meeting seemingly did not go to plan, Epstein text her in November telling Walker: ‘You have some tough decisions to make.’

She responded: ‘Yes. I have a ‘blue dress’ emails and a few other embarrassing things. 

‘Yes the stories are so eerily similar to all in media that he sounds Weinstein like. I cant be the only one.’

Walker also detailed how Melinda, Gates’s then wife, took a dislike to her , telling Epstein: ‘Melinda is acting out against me through [foundation] channels. I need out asap.’

This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein on March 28, 2017

Melinda and Bill Gates attend a benefit in New York City in 2018, they divorced in 2021 

According to the outlet she was first acquainted with Epstein in the 90s when President Donald Trump introduced them at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. 

In a email introducing a neurosurgeon to Epstein in 2018 she said: ‘I’ve known Jeffrey 28 years and this isn’t a joke – Donald Trump introduced us.’ 

It was through this meeting that she developed a relationship with the pedophile, going on to become his ‘science adviser’.

Through him she was later introduced to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor via Ghislaine Maxwell before moving to Seattle to live with Sinofsky. 

In 2006 she was employed by the Gates Foundation where she befriended Boris Nikolic, who was at the time Gates’s chief science adviser. 

According to the outlet, Walker learned in 2009 that Nikolic was to stand down from his role and move to work for Gates’s private office. 

She took him to lunch, Nikolic told the outlet, and pitched Epstein to him as the one who put her on the right career path and downplayed his 2008 conviction for solicitation of a minor and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution.

The two men are seen here in an image obtained from the Justice Department files kept on Epstein

In January of 2011, Epstein and Gates were to meet for the first time with Walker emailing Gates beforehand calling the pedophile ‘one of my closest friends’.

She also said: ‘The world’s most gorgeous people hang around Jeffrey. He’s very discreet. Just saying…’

In 2014 Walker then sent a warning to Gates telling him he should keep ‘a healthy distance for anything of a personal nature’.

Walker added that Epstein had ‘pretty incredible human specimens’ available to him but warned there were consequences for being around him. 

She said to Gates that she had seen it ‘happen to too many powerful people over the years’, adding that Epstein targeted peoples ‘weaknesses or proclivities’.

Gates has publicly expressed regret over his relationship with Epstein in the past and denied any allegations of impropriety. 

A spokesperson for Gates told the WSJ that the billionaire ‘was not aware of the nature of the relationship between Walker and Epstein, their shared motives, or the details of their history together. 

‘Correspondence between Epstein and Walker reveals that Epstein was actively encouraging Walker to pursue a sexual relationship with Gates.

‘The relationship between Walker and Gates was consensual and ended amicably. Walker continued to reach out to Gates periodically for years after.’

Walker’s lawyer David Fleissig told the WSJ that she was ‘a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’ and endured a ‘coercive relationship that spanned decades and ended only with his death’ and declined to comment further. 

A former serviceman from the Marines and his family are grappling with significant health complications attributed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Elbridge Cleveland, now aged 64, dedicated nearly a decade to the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1979 until 1988.

In 1980, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where he lived for six years with his then-wife and their three children.

By 1982, it was revealed that the base’s drinking water, relied upon by approximately 34,000 residents, was tainted with hazardous volatile organic compounds.

Elbridge recalls that his health woes began around 1985, marked by relentless headaches and persistent leg pain.

Since then, he has been diagnosed with 61 different health conditions – including kidney disease, fibromyalgia, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, skin cancer, mitochondrial disease, cysts throughout his body, and has suffered multiple strokes.

He also lost his wife to cancer, his daughter has stage four cancer, and his sons have also developed health issues, which Elbridge believes are linked to the contaminated water.

Elbridge, from Lacona, New York, said: “We didn’t know anything about the water being contaminated.

“Nobody did until 1987, when they sent out a survey to people who had lived there.

“It asked if we had experienced any type of illness, where we lived, and where we drank the water from.

“At the time, they didn’t say the survey was due to the contamination, but I knew there was something else behind it.”

During his time in the United States Marine Corps, Elbridge was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune for six years.

He lived there with his ex-wife, and the couple welcomed their three children during that time.

“I started experiencing constant headaches, prostate issues, and discomfort in both of my legs,” Elbridge said.

“I didn’t know anything about the water being poisoned; nobody did.”

Water contamination at Camp Lejeune dates back to August 1953, when the Hadnot Point water system began supplying contaminated water to base residents.

By 1981, laboratory testing revealed the water was highly contaminated. However, residents were not formally notified until years later.

Since leaving the Marines, Elbridge says he has experienced “all kinds of health issues.”

He has been diagnosed with kidney disease, fibromyalgia, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, skin cancer, mitochondrial disease, cysts throughout his body, and has suffered multiple strokes.

He said his wife died from cancer in 2024, and that all three of his children have experienced health issues, which he believes are linked to the contaminated water.

Speaking to Sell Us Your Story, Elbridge said, “I can’t do a lot of things that I used to. I still get lightheaded all the time.

“I get muscle spasms throughout my whole body; they are in my throat, so sometimes I struggle to breathe.

“My daughter has stage four cancer. My two sons, who were born on the base, also have health issues.

“My sons were born in the Navy hospital there. When they were born, they were washed with that toxic water and then wound up drinking it.”

On the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, veterans who served at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, are encouraged to apply for disability benefits and healthcare.

Elbridge says he receives both, but feels abandoned by the government and claims he is not being supported in accessing further treatment.

He said he had to start flying to the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, for treatment as the hospitals in New York, as recommended by the Veterans Affairs, were “putting plasters” over his health issues.

“I started going to the Cleveland Clinic for treatment, as no hospital in New York would treat me,” he said.

“The clinic recommended that the VA install an infrared sauna and a hydrotherapy unit in my home, as it would help with the pain and my sleep.

“But the VA kept saying no, and I am losing feeling in my hands and legs.”

He described his treatment as “horrific” and said he feels it would be easier for the department if he died, so “they wouldn’t have to foot the bill.”

“I am fighting them for everything,” he said.

“I can’t help but feel like it would be easier for them if I died.

“This is no way to treat a veteran.”

Veteran Affairs press secretary, Quinn Slaven, said: “Federal law prohibits the purchase or installation of therapeutic or wellness equipment for in-home use under the VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations program.

“This program may only be used for home modifications, such as accessibility improvements to bathrooms, entrances, and mobility-related home functions.”

Curacao is emerging as the World Cup’s most astonishing underdog story.

This Caribbean gem, home to just 158,000 residents yet boasting nightlife comparable to major cities like London and New York, is on the brink of making history. In six days, they could become the smallest nation ever to compete in the prestigious tournament.

Regardless of the outcome, the Curacao team, affectionately known as the Blue Wave, is determined to leave a lasting impression with their unique flair. There’s even a player confidently aiming for the trophy.

Their squad, predominantly consisting of Dutch-born athletes, has been indulging in unconventional training sessions on the island’s pristine beaches. Picture Brazilian-inspired volleyball matches, push-ups on the sand, and playful antics in the crystal-clear waters, all set against the backdrop of beachgoers and quaint seafront huts.

Their presence at the World Cup seems almost surreal. Recently, they made waves on social media for their charming journey in a quirky, old school bus, enthusiastically cheering and tapping the vehicle’s sides. This Sunday, they will face off against the formidable German team at Houston Stadium, a venue with a capacity nearly half the size of Curacao’s entire population.

Around 3,000-5,000 supporters will follow them to North America, with the throngs back home gathered in front of screens at parties across the island paradise, around 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

Curacao have been gearing up for their debut World Cup on the beaches of their island home 

The Caribbean island squad have gone viral for travelling around in a dilapidated school bus 

They have been socialising with supporters ahead of being the tiniest nation ever to play in the World Cup 

‘The island will shut down when the games are on,’ one fan, Brenton Balentien, told The Athletic. 

‘For us, it’s life. We are a tiny island, everyone here is like family, accomplishing something as big as qualifying for the World Cup, it means the world. Besides seeing the birth of my children, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me.’ 

This is a team who have not forgotten their roots. In the build-up to their debut, the players have been hanging out with fans, taking selfies, doing meet-and-greets, and signing shirts and balls. There is a sense on the island that the players in some way belong to them, that they are at one with the populace in a way more major nations cannot achieve. 

They arrive full of optimism. In their qualifying campaign, Curacao went unbeaten across their 10 matches, seeing off the likes of Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. That will give them confidence that they can at least compete in this tournament, though a group including Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador looks forbidding. 

In November they drew with Jamaica to book their place in the expanded 48-team tournament. That sent them into seventh heaven – even the crowd control police were joining in the festivities at full time – while it condemned Jamaica, managed by former England manager Steve McClaren, to the play-offs, where they lost out to DR Congo. 

Getting the better of Jamaica was no mean feat. Curacao played away from home and packed two planes with their most passionate fans to make a noise in the 35,000-seater stadium in Kingston, but most of the crowd was behind McClaren’s team. That didn’t stop the visitors, arrayed in a sea of blue, from silencing them. 

‘I think God was with us that night,’ said Leandro Bacuna, Curacao’s captain. 

‘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.’

Curucao were jubilant after fans flew to Jamaica to see them qualify in November 

They went unbeaten in qualifying and are now saying that they can win the tournament 

The man who has masterminded Curacao’s debut run is Dick Advocaat, a 78-year-old Dutch veteran who will be the oldest man in history to manage at the World Cup.

Advocaat – who used to manage Sunderland – actually stepped down in February to be present for his sick daughter and was replaced by Fred Rutten, but he returned to the post in May 2026. He’s not just here to make up the numbers, and neither are his squad. 

Only Tahith Chong was born in Curacao, while the rest of their squad comes from the Netherlands but are all connected to the island via their parents. 

The island didn’t even have a national team until 2010 – they were included under the banner of the now-disbanded Netherlands Antilles – so it has been remarkable surge onto the world stage. 

Their team is short on star quality. The most recognisable name is Leandro Bacuna, who spent three years with Aston Villa, but this campaign will be more about team effort.

Curacao are the third-lowest-ranked team in the competition, sat 82nd in FIFA’s rankings. Only New Zealand and Haiti are lower. But given that they were 150th a decade ago, they’re used to upsetting the odds. 

Crucially, the confidence is coursing within them that they can cause a shock. Right-back Livano Comenencia, who plies his trade with Zurich in Switzerland, told FIFA: ‘We’ve been brought up playing the Dutch way and we’ve got real quality and excellent technique. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.

‘As soon as the game gets under way, anything can happen. It’s always 11 against 11, not five against 11. Anything’s possible, even against Germany. I think four points will be enough to see us through to the next stage of the competition, a win and a draw. We’ll do everything in our power to make it happen.’

Dutch coach Dick Advocaat has helped transform the side after taking charge in 2024

The island remains part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands despite being located near Venezuela

Covering a total area of 444km squared, Curacao is so small you could fit nearly four of them inside Greater London – and the island only has a population of just over 150,000 people

‘For us, qualifying for the World Cup is already a huge milestone, because we’ve never achieved anything on this scale before and we’ll be the smallest country in tournament history. 

‘A lot of people already see us as winners. But we’ve got a winning mentality and we’re not here to just make up the numbers. We’re going to the World Cup with the intention of winning it.’