Curacao becomes smallest nation to qualify for FIFA World Cup
Curacao finished top of FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Group B with 12 points, remaining unbeaten throughout the campaign. They won three matches and drew three.
Curacao has made history by becoming the smallest nation by population to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The Caribbean island achieved this milestone after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica on Tuesday.
This will be Curacao's first-ever appearance at the global football tournament, underscoring their remarkable rise in the sport. Their success came despite the absence of head coach Dick Advocaat, who returned to the Netherlands last weekend due to family reasons, leaving his assistant to oversee the crucial match.
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Curacao finished top of FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Group B with 12 points, remaining unbeaten throughout the campaign. They won three matches and drew three.
As noted, Curacao is now the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Curacao, the country had a population of 156,115 as of January. The previous record was held by Iceland, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a population of just over 350,000.
Alongside Curacao, other CONCACAF teams—Panama and Haiti—have also secured qualification. Panama claimed their second World Cup berth after defeating El Salvador 3-0, suffering only one defeat in the process. Meanwhile, Haiti surprised many by topping Group C ahead of favourites Honduras and Costa Rica following a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua.
