From Behind to World Champions: Curaçao’s Unforgettable Little League World Series Run

Sometimes, the best championship stories begin with a little adversity.

For Curaçao, the 2026 Little League World Series championship game began with something the team had barely experienced throughout its entire time in Williamsport: playing from behind.

Nevada jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

For the first time in the entire Little League World Series, Curaçao was trailing.

And then the world champions took over.

Curaçao scored 11 unanswered runs and defeated Nevada 11-2 to win the 2026 Little League World Series. The victory gave Curaçao its second Little League World Series championship and its first since 2004.

But the championship game was only the final chapter in what had been an incredible journey.

Curaçao did not simply survive its way through the Little League World Series.

It dominated.

The team opened its tournament with a 6-0 victory over Japan, highlighted by a combined no-hitter from Jaymiëll Martina and Giendry Ryan. Steven Felix also drove in two runs as Curaçao immediately showed that it had the pitching and offense necessary to make a serious run in Williamsport.

From there, the wins kept coming.

Curaçao defeated Asia-Pacific 1-0 in a tight pitchers’ duel, beat Latin America 12-3, and then faced Japan again in the International Championship.

This time, the stakes were even higher.

Curaçao shut out Japan again, winning 4-0 to advance to the Little League World Series championship game. Martina was once again dominant, striking out 12 batters while also helping himself at the plate with an RBI double.

By the time Curaçao reached Championship Sunday, the team had already made one thing clear:

They were going to be incredibly difficult to beat.

Then came Nevada.

The team from Henderson represented the Mountain Region and had earned its way to the United States Championship before advancing to the Little League World Series final.

Early in the championship game, Nevada gave Curaçao something it had not experienced during the tournament.

A deficit.

Maddox Bryan delivered a two-run single in the second inning, giving Nevada a 2-0 lead. It was the only time Curaçao trailed during its entire Little League World Series run.

For a moment, the championship game had completely changed.

But Curaçao’s response was immediate.

Curaçao began its comeback in the third inning.

Shardijon De Lanoi came through with a two-run single, tying the game at 2-2. Suddenly, all of the momentum had shifted.

The team added two more runs in the fourth inning, with Jaymiëll Martina delivering an RBI double.

Then came the fifth inning.

Curaçao exploded for four runs, with Juriënsly De Windt delivering one of the biggest hits of the game—a bases-loaded double that helped put the championship firmly within reach.

By the time the sixth inning arrived, Curaçao had turned a 2-0 deficit into a commanding lead.

The final score was almost hard to believe considering how the game began:

Curaçao 11, Nevada 2.

Eleven unanswered runs.

That is how a team turns adversity into a championship.

One of the most impressive parts of Curaçao’s tournament run was that the team did not rely on just one superstar.

Throughout the Little League World Series, different players stepped up at different moments.

Martina was a major part of the team’s success, especially on the mound. His 12-strikeout performance against Japan in the International Championship was one of the standout pitching performances of the tournament.

De Windt came through in the championship game with his huge bases-loaded double.

De Lanoi helped start the comeback with the two-run single that erased Nevada’s early lead.

And on the mound, De Windt, Giendry Ryan, and Steven Felix combined to hold Nevada to just two runs.

That balance was one of the biggest reasons Curaçao was so difficult to beat.

Over the course of the tournament, the team outscored its five opponents 34-5 and recorded three shutouts.

That is not just a championship run.

That is dominance.

The championship was also historic for both teams.

For Curaçao, the victory marked the program’s second Little League World Series championship. The country’s previous title came in 2004, and that championship team eventually produced future Major Leaguers Jurickson Profar and Jonathan Schoop.

Nevada may not have won the championship, but the team still made history.

Carsynn Meyer became the first American girl to play in a Little League World Series championship game. She was only the second girl overall to appear in a title game.

That is one of the things that makes the Little League World Series so special.

Yes, there is a championship trophy.

Yes, everyone wants to win.

But there are also moments and milestones that become bigger than the final score.

There was another emotional moment surrounding the championship game that had nothing to do with what happened between the lines.

Longtime ESPN broadcaster Karl Ravech called his final broadcast for the network during the Little League World Series championship. Ravech received an emotional on-air farewell from his colleagues, including a tribute from Eduardo Pérez recognizing his leadership, mentorship, and friendship over the years.

It was a fitting setting for an emotional goodbye.

The Little League World Series has been one of the most recognizable events in baseball broadcasting, and the championship game became the final chapter of Ravech’s long ESPN career.

So while one team was celebrating a world championship, another familiar part of the Little League World Series experience was coming to an emotional end.

After all the pressure, all the big moments, and all the baseball, Curaçao had a simple idea for celebrating its championship.

Food.

According to the team’s manager, the players planned to celebrate by heading down the street to McDonald’s and eating like champions.

Honestly, that might be one of the most perfect Little League World Series moments of all.

These players had just won one of the biggest championships in youth baseball.

They had traveled from Willemstad, Curaçao, to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

They had gone undefeated.

They had outscored their opponents 34-5.

They had overcome their only deficit of the tournament in the championship game.

And after becoming world champions?

They were going to McDonald’s.

That is the Little League World Series.

The 2026 Little League World Series belonged to Curaçao.

From the combined no-hitter against Japan early in the tournament to the dramatic comeback against Nevada in the championship game, the team delivered one memorable moment after another.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about the run was how the team responded when things finally became difficult.

For the first time in the tournament, Curaçao was losing.

They were down 2-0.

Instead of panicking, they responded with 11 straight runs.

That response said everything about this team.

By the end of Championship Sunday, Curaçao was celebrating an 11-2 victory, a second Little League World Series title, and a place in the history of one of baseball’s most beloved events.

From an early deficit to an unforgettable celebration, Curaçao’s journey was a reminder of why the Little League World Series is so much fun to watch.

There are incredible plays.

There are funny moments.

There are emotional moments.

There is heartbreak.

And, eventually, there is one team celebrating like world champions.

In 2026, that team was Curaçao.