Curacao are a nation of roughly 150,000 people, smaller than most English cities, and they have officially made their World Cup debut, becoming the smallest nation, by both size and population, ever to reach the tournament. Curacao have only had its own football team since 2010, when the Netherlands Antilles dissolved. They took on the Netherlands Antilles’ FIFA membership and ranking of 151 and built from there.
Virgin Bet, an established name in online sports betting, will have had Curacao on their radar from the moment the draw was made, given the curiosity their debut generated among fans across the world.
In their tournament debut, they walked out against Germany in one of the most lopsided opening fixtures of the tournament, losing 7-1. It was a heavy defeat, but it did not tell the full story of how they got there or what makes this squad so unusual.
How they qualified
The expanded 48-team format, combined with the USA, Canada, and Mexico receiving automatic qualification as co-hosts, opened up more CONCACAF berths than ever before. Curacao took full advantage. They went unbeaten through the entire qualifying campaign, with seven wins and three draws, and did not lose a single match on their way to the finals.
Curacao entered in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying in June 2024. Dick Advocaat’s first official game in charge ended in a 4-1 win over Barbados, followed by a 2-0 victory over Aruba. A further 12 months later, they beat Saint Lucia 4-0 and hammered Haiti 5-1, topping Group C without dropping a point.
The third and final round was tighter. They drew 0-0 with Trinidad and Tobago, came from 2-0 up to win 3-2 against Bermuda, beat Jamaica 2-0, drew again with Trinidad and Tobago 1-1, then crushed Bermuda 7-0. That set up the decisive fixture in Kingston, where a goalless draw against Jamaica was enough to confirm their place at the World Cup.
Only one player born in Curacao
Of the 26-man squad that travelled to the World Cup, only one player was born on the island itself: Tahith Chong. The winger, who came through Manchester United’s academy before moving into German football with Hamburger SV, is arguably the country’s most recognisable face and one of the few players in the squad with a significant European club background linked directly to the island.
Every other squad member was born outside Curacao, the vast majority in the Netherlands. This is not unusual for small Caribbean nations with strong diaspora communities, but the scale of it in Curacao’s case is striking. The squad represents an island through players who have rarely, if ever, lived there full-time.
The Dutch connection
Curacao is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and that political relationship has shaped the national team profoundly. The majority of the squad came through Dutch youth academies, with several players having represented the Netherlands at junior level before switching international allegiance to Curacao. Dutch football’s infrastructure runs through this squad in a way that sets them apart from most CONCACAF sides.
Players like Cuco Martina, who had a long career in the Dutch top flight before retiring from internationals, helped establish the credibility of the national team during the mid-2010s when Curacao first began to attract serious Dutch-Caribbean talent. The groundwork laid during that period made qualifying for a World Cup feel possible in a way it had not before.
Their manager
Dick Advocaat, who has had three separate spells in charge of the Netherlands, signed a deal with Curacao in January 2024. At 78, he became the oldest manager in World Cup history when the tournament kicked off. His tenure has not been without drama. He stepped down in February 2026 to care for his ill daughter, was replaced by Fred Rutten, and then returned in May after his daughter’s health improved.
Advocaat actually missed the game that sealed Curacao’s qualification but returned to the dugout for the start of the World Cup, completing another remarkable chapter in a managerial career that has spanned more than four decades.
