As more of football’s lesser luminaries have a chance to make it to a tournament that has been expanded to 48 teams, Curacao and Suriname could win the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday.
At the finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the two Caribbean countries would compete alongside Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, and Jordan, as well as other first-time participants like them. They will compete alongside legendary players like Brazil, who have won five times before, and two-time champion France.
Curacao defeated Bermuda 7-0 last week to claim top spot in CONCACAF qualifying, giving the tiny island off Venezuela’s northern coast a chance to book a ticket if they do not lose to Jamaica on Tuesday in Kingston.
When veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat had to leave the team camp and travel home for family reasons, their preparations suffered a blow.
The least-populationally populous nation ever to qualify for a World Cup would be Curacao, a self-governing region of the Netherlands with a population of just over 150 000.
As long as Panama does not lose to El Salvador, who is already eliminated, Suriname leads their group in goal difference and can claim a historic qualification with a victory in Guatemala City.
Suriname must finish the night with a better goal difference if both nations win in order to take the crucial position at the top of their group.
Cape Verde won their spot in African qualifying last month, and FIFA, the game’s world-governing body, was quick to release a video of their exuberant players rushing to celebrate with their supporters in the stands.
Their qualification, according to Captain Ryan Mendes, was abysmal.
Mendes, a member of his Turkish club football, told AFP, “We have taken part in four African Cup of Nations (CAN) tournaments and we were also very close to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.”
Over the years, a lot has been accomplished. And we can confidently say that this is the logical conclusion right now.
Mendes couldn’t help but feel the excitement in the small island off the coast of Senegal, which has a population of 525, 000.
“Everyone is so happy, the entire country,” he declares in a statement from the diaspora. He said, “I just think about it makes me feel goosebumps.”
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There haven’t been many surprise qualifiers in Europe so far, but some of the big players, including Italy’s four-time World Cup champions and Sweden, must navigate playoffs to qualify for the finals.
Despite persistent criticism that the involvement of the smaller nations could lead to some unfavorable outcomes when the tournament kicks off in June, FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s promise that opening up the World Cup to 48 teams would further spread the sport worldwide is true.
Additionally, Infantino, who has a powerful influence on international football, appears to be giving the possibility of allowing 64 nations to qualify for the 2030 World Cup some serious thought.
That could inspire even more nations to occupy the biggest stage of football, where they may not have previously dreamed.
Source: Channels TV
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