Curacao qualified for the World Cup for the first time on Tuesday when they drew with Steve McClaren’s Jamaica in Kingston, a result that also made them the smallest nation ever to reach the finals.
The Caribbean island, with a population of just over 150,000 and a land area of 171 square miles, surpasses Iceland’s record from 2018. Jamaica, needing a win to return to the tournament for the first time since 1998, were denied deep in stoppage time when an awarded penalty was overturned by VAR. McClaren resigned shortly after the final whistle.
Curacao manager Dick Advocaat, absent for personal reasons, will become the oldest coach to appear at a World Cup at 78, overtaking Otto Rehhagel who led Greece at 71 in 2010. The island, located 37 miles off the Venezuelan coast, has undergone a rapid rise since becoming a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010. A decade ago they were ranked 150th in the world, now they sit 82nd.
Their qualification has been aided by the expanded 48 team format for the 2026 World Cup and the automatic places for hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States. Curacao become the fourth debutant at next summer’s tournament, joining Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and Jordan.
Midfielder Juninho Bacuna, formerly of Huddersfield, Rangers and Birmingham, had spoken before the match about the scale of the moment. He told BBC Radio 5 Live that qualification would be one of the biggest achievements in the nation’s history and described the opportunity as incredible.
Curacao completed their qualifying campaign unbeaten, winning seven of their ten matches. Their place briefly looked in jeopardy in the fourth minute of added time when substitute Jeremy Antonisse appeared to foul Isaac Hayden, prompting referee Ivan Barton to award a penalty. A swift VAR review led Barton to overturn his decision, silencing a furious home crowd.
Curacao will be joined at the finals by Haiti and Panama from the Concacaf pathway, while Jamaica must now navigate the Intercontinental play offs. Haiti secured their first World Cup appearance since 1974 after beating Nicaragua 2–0.
Advocaat’s squad features a strong Dutch influence, with many players born in the Netherlands but eligible through family ties. The group includes Livingston defender Joshua Brenet, Rotherham midfielder Ar’jany Martha, Middlesbrough forward Sontje Hansen and Sheffield United midfielder Tahith Chong, who was born in Curacao and previously played for Manchester United.
For Juninho Bacuna, representing Curacao has also allowed him to play alongside his older brother Leandro, the team captain, after switching allegiance in 2019 despite earlier involvement with the Netherlands under 21s. He said the opportunity to play with his brother and the limited prospects of breaking into the Dutch senior squad shaped his decision.
Bacuna believes Curacao’s progress will continue to attract Dutch born talent. He said more young players eligible for both nations are now choosing Curacao, helping strengthen a team that has already rewritten its own history.
