Some were completely unaware of its existence, yet for the first time in history the island of Curaçao has qualified for the 2026 Football World Cup, which will be played between the United States, Mexico and Canada. The small Caribbean nation with dream beaches did the feat, snatching a 0-0 draw against Jamaica and taking top spot in Group B with 12 points, remaining unbeaten in qualifying.
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Thus it officially becomes the smallest and least populous country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. An extraordinary triumph that sparked joy in the country which has just over 150 thousand inhabitants. Practically almost as much as those of Rimini or Cagliari.
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Also rejoicing was the island of Haiti, which had not qualified for the championship for over half a century.
The redemption of an entire nation
The nation of Curaçao is officially the smallest nation in terms of surface area (with an area of 444 km², practically double the island of Elba) to qualify for a football World Cup, overtaking Iceland, which until now held the record for qualifying for the World Cup in Russia in 2018. It is the largest and most populous of the three “ABC islands” (the other two are Aruba and Bonaire) – belonging to the Antilles Dutch – and rises in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela.
This footballing achievement doesn’t happen overnight, by chance. In the last decade the Curaçao national team has climbed the FIFA rankings, going from 150th place to 82nd and in 2017 they won the Caribbean Cup.
The team also breaks another record: its coach, the Dutch Dick Advocaat – 78 years old – will be the oldest coach at the world championship. In short, Curaçao is making history. And whatever happens, it has already won an important bet, demonstrating that even the smallest companies can become protagonists.
