Curaçao Makes History as Smallest Nation to Qualify for World Cup Finals

Curaçao has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the smallest nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals, securing their spot with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on the final day of the Concacaf qualifying tournament.

In addition to Curaçao, Panama and Haiti also earned their places in the World Cup, culminating a tense final round of qualifying within a region that includes automatic qualifiers and host nations, the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

This tiny Caribbean island nation, with a population of just 156,115 and a land area of only 444 square kilometers, not only finished unbeaten in the tournament but also topped Group B with 12 points. Curaçao has surpassed Iceland’s previous record set in 2018, when Iceland qualified with a population of over 350,000.

Under the management of former Premier League coach Dick Advocaat, who was absent during the match against Jamaica for personal reasons, Curaçao completed their qualification campaign without a loss, notably achieving a remarkable 7-0 victory over Bermuda.

Advocaat has an extensive managerial background, having led the Netherlands national team on three occasions and managed other national teams, including South Korea, Belgium, and Russia, before taking charge of Curaçao.

Curaçao will learn their group stage opponents for their inaugural World Cup appearance when the draw is conducted on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Panama has also made headlines by qualifying for their second World Cup, having triumphed over El Salvador with a 3-0 victory, thanks to first-half goals from Cesar Blackman and Erick Davis, along with an additional goal from Jose Luis Rodriguez. Panama, which previously participated in the 2018 World Cup, finished as the best team in Group A with 12 points.

Haiti’s qualifying journey has been equally surprising, as they won Group C, outperforming favorites Honduras and Costa Rica by defeating Nicaragua 2-1. Haiti’s only previous World Cup appearance was in 1974 in Germany, and they concluded this campaign with 11 points, while Honduras and Costa Rica finished with nine and seven points, respectively.

Additionally, Jamaica and Suriname, who finished second in their respective groups, have secured the last two Concacaf spots for the FIFA inter-federation playoff. They will compete against Bolivia, New Caledonia, DR Congo, and Iraq in a six-team tournament in March for two World Cup slots.