The smallest ever nation to qualify for the World Cup – 156,000 people | World | News
The FIFA World Cup this year will be like no other after being expanded to an unprecedented 48 teams. Football’s biggest tournament, held every four years, will feature a record number of countries competing for the famous trophy that England lifted in 1966. By comparison, 32 teams participated in the previous World Cup, held in Qatar four years ago. The expansion has opened the door to a host of surprise qualifiers, perhaps none more notable than the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao.
The Dutch territory became the smallest country to reach the World Cup finals, surpassing Iceland, which participated in the tournament in 2018. Curacao has a population of just 156,000 (comparable to Cambridge or Huddersfield) and covers an area of just 171 square miles, making it smaller than the Isle of Man. Located just 60 km off the coast of Venezuela, Curacao only became a founding country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010, which makes its historical nature even more extraordinary.
The beautiful Willemstad embankment in Curacao (Image: Getty)
How did the team get there?
Curacao has qualified for FIFA World Cup 26™ (Image: FIFA Collection)
Football was introduced by the Dutch in the early 1900s and has been a part of Curacao culture for over a century. The island was long considered the football center of the former Netherlands Antilles before becoming an independent FIFA member in 2011.
Since then, Curacao has built a competitive national team by combining homegrown talent with players developed in the Netherlands, many of whom are of Caribbean descent.
Led by the experienced Dick Advocaat, who will become the oldest coach in World Cup history at the age of 78, Curacao finished the CONCACAF qualifiers ahead of Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad & Tobago and Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.
The team, nicknamed the Blue Wave, is ranked 82nd in the FIFA world rankings and will make its World Cup debut alongside Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Jordan in this summer’s tournament.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former Huddersfield Town, Rangers and Birmingham City midfielder Juninho Bacuna described the achievement as “incredible and surprising”.
He said: “Even a few years ago you wouldn’t have even thought about it. It would be incredible to personally be a part of it and make this dream a reality.”
On the November night when the team qualified, Curacao Football Federation president Gilbert Martina said he was moved to “tears, tears, tears, tears of joy.”
He told NBC News: “You’ll never experience anything like this again. I’m crying like a child.”
It is estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 people from the island will travel to the United States this summer to support their teams.
They will face the daunting prospect of Germany in their opening match in Houston.
Whatever the outcome, residents have vowed to celebrate the occasion properly, with one of them telling The Athletic: “We’re a small island, everyone here is like family, to achieve something as big as qualifying for the World Cup, it means the world. Besides seeing my children being born, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
About Curaçao
Curacao is known for its pristine cliff-lined beaches and world-class scuba diving. (Image: Getty)
The capital, Willemstad, offers a mix of Dutch and Caribbean influences (Image: Getty)
Curacao has been a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since October 2010. Dutch, Papiamentu and English are the official languages.
Once a major center in the transatlantic slave trade, Curacao’s economy suffered after the abolition of slavery in 1863. However, the island experienced a revival in the early 20th century when oil refineries were built to process crude oil from the newly discovered oil fields of neighboring Venezuela.
Today, its economy is largely based on tourism, financial services and oil refining. It is also the birthplace of the distinctive blue Curacao liqueur, made from the dried peels of the island’s native bitter oranges.
The colorful capital of Willemstad is famous for its pastel-coloured coast and one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful natural harbours.
With year-round sunshine, pristine beaches, excellent scuba diving and a unique blend of Dutch and Caribbean influences, Curacao has become one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the region while maintaining the unique character of a true hidden gem.
