Curacao tops CONCACAF group, secures first ever World Cup spot

The Curacao national football team can hardly believe their luck — the team will play in the World Cup for the first time in its history / Photo: REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy

The national football team of Curacao secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history after drawing 0-0 with Jamaica. They joined three other debuting teams: Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde.

Curacao is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. The population of the island in the Caribbean Sea does not exceed 170,000 people. The Curacao Football Federation joined FIFA in 2011 as the legal successor of the Netherlands Antilles.

In January 2024, the renowned Dutch football manager Dick Advocaat took charge of Curacao’s national team, guiding them to remarkable success. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF zone, the Dutchman’s team secured victories over Haiti, Saint Lucia, Aruba and Barbados.

In the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, Curacao faced tougher competition. They performed strongly, beating favorite Jamaica 2-0 at home and holding them to a 0-0 draw away.

Haiti’s national team, which lost to Curacao in the previous round, also managed to qualify for the World Cup. In their final qualifying match, they defeated Nicaragua 2-0, marking their second entry to the tournament after the 1974 World Cup.

In Group A, Panama ranked first, finishing just one victory ahead of Suriname. Panama’s national team previously participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The CONCACAF qualifying tournament has concluded, as has the AFC stage. Iraq secured a spot in the intercontinental playoffs by defeating the United Arab Emirates over two legs (1-1, 2-1). The winning goal was scored in the 17th minute of added time in the match against the UAE.

The intercontinental playoffs will take place in March 2026 in Mexico, where six national teams will compete for the two final spots in the World Cup. The participants are the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa), Bolivia (South America), New Caledonia (Oceania), Jamaica, Suriname and Iraq.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. It will be the first edition featuring 48 national teams representing six confederations.

The participation quotas are as follows: 16 for Europe, 9.5 for Africa, 8.5 for Asia, 6.5 each for CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, and 1.5 for Oceania. The decimals indicate spots allocated through the intercontinental playoffs.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.