Curaçao qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time on Tuesday. The island nation, which has a population of about 156,000 people, is the smallest country to qualify for the tournament, according to the Associated Press. Iceland was previously the smallest country to qualify, having a population of over 350,000.
Curaçao qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history
On Tuesday, Curaçao finished the qualifying stage in a 0-0 draw against Jamaica. The country won every game in this stage, including against Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti. Curaçao scored 15 goals during the Concacaf qualifying, according to FIFA.
Curaçao is a constituent island country that is part of the Netherlands. It gained autonomy 15 years ago and was formerly called the Netherlands Antilles. This means several of Curaçao’s players, as well as this year’s coach, hail from the Netherlands. Joshua Brenet previously played for the Netherlands in a 2016 World Cup qualifying game, while Tahith Chong was born in Curaçao and is a former Manchester United youth player.
Since August, the team has been given permission from FIFA to change eligibility rules and recruit players who previously competed for the Netherlands at youth or Under-21 level.
Dutch coach Dick Advocaat is leading Curaçao into the 2026 World Cup. It is his third time coaching for the tournament. He previously coached the Netherlands, which reached the quarterfinals in 1994, as well as South Korea in 2006.
“I think we deserve this,” a Curaçao supporter told Reuters, according to NBC News. “It is time for us to celebrate right now.”
Curaçao will find out their group stage on Dec. 5 during a draw which will be made at the Kennedy Center in D.C.
Haiti qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974
Curaçao will be joined by Caribbean nations Haiti and Panama in the 2026 World Cup. On Tuesday, Haiti won 2-0 against Nicaragua and has previously disqualified Honduras and Costa Rica. The first and only time Haiti participated in the World Cup was in West Germany in 1974, according to ESPN.
Due to the current upheaval and violence in Haiti, Haiti’s coach, Sebastien Migne has not been able to enter the country despite being appointed to coach the team 18 months ago.
“It’s fantastic that after 52 years’ absence, Haiti has qualified for the biggest footballing stage,” Migne said during a Tuesday press conference, according to Reuters. “I’m happy to make everybody proud and for my players because they deserve it. I sometimes pushed the older players to the limits, but it wasn’t for nothing.”