Country of 150,000 people makes history as tiny Curaçao qualifies for World Cup

Curaçao, a small island in the Caribbean, has made history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. They drew 0-0 with Jamaica, which was enough to send them through.

Jamaica needed a win to qualify, but their injury-time penalty was cancelled after the referee checked VAR. After the match, Jamaica’s coach, Steve McClaren, resigned.
Curaçao is now the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup.

The island has a population of just over 150,000 people and is smaller than the Isle of Man.

It only became a country in 2010, and just ten years ago its football team was ranked 150th in the world. Today they are ranked 82nd.

The expanded 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup also increased their chances of qualifying. They are one of four nations making their World Cup debut, along with Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Jordan.

Midfielder Juninho Bacuna said qualifying would be incredible for the country. Curaçao won seven of their ten qualifying games and did not lose any match.

Their hopes were almost destroyed when a Curaçao substitute seemed to foul Jamaica’s Isaac Hayden in added time, but VAR showed it was not a penalty.

Curaçao will join Haiti and Panama as CONCACAF qualifiers. Haiti also made history by qualifying for the first time since 1974 after beating Nicaragua 2-0.
Their coach, 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, will become the oldest manager ever at a World Cup.

He was not at the match for personal reasons. Advocaat has coached many national teams, including the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia and Iraq.

He took the job after a dispute between the players and the football association was resolved, and players say his experience has helped the team improve.

Many Curaçao players were born in the Netherlands but have family roots on the island. Some play for clubs like Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Livingston. Juninho Bacuna chose to play for Curaçao so he could represent his heritage and play alongside his older brother Leandro.

He believes more Dutch-born players with Curaçaoan roots will join the team in the future as the country’s football continues to grow.