Curaçao, a Caribbean island of just over 150,000 people, has shattered one of international football’s most unlikely barriers by becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
A dramatic 0–0 draw against Steve McClaren’s Jamaica sealed their place at the expanded 2026 showpiece and completed one of world football’s most extraordinary rise stories.
The previous record belonged to Iceland, whose 2018 qualification stunned the football world. But Iceland’s population is more than twice the size of Curaçao’s, underscoring the magnitude of this achievement from the nation that lies 37 miles off the Venezuelan coast.
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A decade ago, Curaçao sat 150th in the FIFA rankings. Today, they’re up to 82nd, boasting seven wins and an unbeaten run across ten World Cup qualifiers. Their World Cup dream nearly collapsed deep into stoppage time when substitute Jeremy Antonisse was judged to have fouled Isaac Hayden in the box — only for VAR to rescue the island’s hopes, overturning the penalty to the disbelief of the Jamaican crowd.
Midfielder Juninho Bacuna captured the emotion of the moment before kick-off and again after qualification was confirmed. “It’s crazy and would be one of the biggest things that will happen to Curaçao,” he said. “Even a few years ago you wouldn’t even think about it. To be personally part of it and to make that dream come true would be incredible.”
Their qualification also adds a second line of history: head coach Dick Advocaat, who missed the decisive match for personal reasons, will become the oldest manager ever to coach at a World Cup, aged 78. The squad reflects Curaçao’s deep footballing ties with the Netherlands, featuring Dutch-born players eligible through heritage, such as former Manchester United starlet Tahith Chong, Joshua Brenet, Ar’jany Martha and Sontje Hansen.
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Curaçao join fellow debutants Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Jordan at the 2026 tournament — beneficiaries of the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams and the automatic qualification of hosts USA, Mexico and Canada.
They’ll share the CONCACAF spotlight with Haiti, who qualified for their first World Cup since 1974, and Panama, while Jamaica head into the intercontinental play-offs.
For Curaçao, though, the fairy tale is complete: the smallest nation ever on football’s biggest stage.
Photo: ANP via Getty Images
