Curacao become smallest nation to qualify for World Cup

After drawing with Jamaica, Curacao, a tiny Caribbean island, has become the smallest country to have qualified for the World Cup.

Iceland, who reached the 2018 finals, held the record, but their nation is much larger than Curacao, which has a population of just over 150 000 (similar to that of Cambridge or Huddersfield), and has a land area of 171 square miles, which is smaller than the Isle of Man.

After his team’s goalless draw, which included having an injury-time penalty overturned by VAR, forced former England boss McClaren to step down as the country’s manager.

Otto Rehhagel’s record was broken when he took charge of Greece in 2010 at the age of 71, and Curacao boss Dick Advocaat will become the oldest coach at a World Cup at the age of 78. Advocaat was not present for the game for personal reasons.

After the Netherlands Antilles were disbanded in 2010, Curacao, 37 miles off the coast of Venezuela, was the only nation to join the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In the world rankings of Fifa ten years ago, they were 150th. They are currently in 82nd place.

Curacao will now be the fourth team to debut at the next summer’s tournament, joining Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, and Jordan, with the expanded 2026 World Cup format, which features 48 nations instead of 32, along with the fact that hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States all automatically qualify.

Juninho Bacuna, a former Huddersfield, Rangers, and Birmingham player, described the situation as “crazy” and said it would be “one of the biggest things that will happen to Curacao.”

He continued, “It’s incredible and amazing,” in a BBC Radio 5 Live interview. You didn’t even consider it until a few years ago.

It would be incredible to be a part of it and help fulfill that dream.

They won seven of their 10 qualifying matches and finished the campaign unbeaten.

When Curacao substitute Jeremy Antonisse appeared to have brought down Isaac Hayden in the fourth of the fifth minute, and El Salvador’s referee Ivan Barton pointed the ball home, the fairytale appeared to be shattered.

However, the VAR officials quickly persuaded the referee to check the incident on the small touch-screen and reverse his own decision, consternating the audience.

Haiti and Panama will both qualify for the World Cup, with Jamaica having to advance to the Intercontinental play-offs.

After three spells with the Netherlands and coaching the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, and Iraq, Dutchman Advocaat, 78, has taken charge of his eighth national side since January 2024.

His South Korean team lost in the group stage in 2006 and his country reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup.

PSV Eindhoven, Rangers, Zenit St. Petersburg, Sunderland, and Feyenoord are some of his clubs on his list of clubs.

Advocaat took over as manager of Curacao after a resolution to a payment dispute between the players and the nation’s football association, and he immediately began aiming to win the World Cup in 2026.

Everyone is aware that Dick Advocaat is a well-known name, a well-coached coach, and that everyone values his judgment and approach to his decisions, Bacuna said. His impact has been significant, and his presence has been very important for both the team and the nation.

The majority of the players in the Curacao squad were born in the Netherlands but also had family connections that made them eligible to play for Advocaat’s side due to having a Dutch manager.

Tahith Chong, a former Premier League player with Manchester United, Sontje Hansen, Ar’jany Martha, Ar’jany Martha, Rotherham midfielder Sontje Hansen, and Livingston defender Joshua Brenet, are included in their squad.

After representing the Netherlands at under-21 level, Bacuna realized that playing for Curacao also gave him the opportunity to play international football with his older brother Leandro, the captain of the national team.

Juninho Bacuna, the player who started playing for Curacao in 2019, said, “It was a big decision for me.” I was only 21 when I realized how much of the Dutch national team I had in store for me.

However, I had to choose to play for Curacao too soon. I can play for the same team as my brother, which is one of the benefits of having the family watch us play together.

“The other reason was, in my opinion, that I wasn’t eligible to play for the Dutch national team at the time.” I saw a lot of players my age playing for the Dutch national team, but I didn’t have a chance to be called up, so I made the quick decision to join Curacao.

However, Bacuna hoped that more Dutch-born players would be inspired by the nation’s recent success in football.