First contact: Curaçao’s rise to the global stage

Curaçao, with a population of just over 158,000 and a land area of 444km², qualified for the World Cup when they drew 0-0 with Jamaica last November in Kingston.

The Blue Wave – as Curaçao are nicknamed – will play their first match at the tournament against Germany, a country of 84 million people and one of the competition's most established sides.

Germany appeared at two of the three World Cups held before the second world war. Following their ban from the 1950 competition in Brazil, German squads have been ever-present.

Curaçao, situated some 65km north of Venezuela, played their first international in August 2011 against Dominican Republic. For 50 years before that, Curaçaoans featured internationally as part of a Netherlands Antilles team.

Moment of history
Their players will walk out on 14 June onto the field at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

"No matter which team we are playing, it's exciting," said Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat after the World Cup draw ceremony in December.

"It's good for the island and it's good for the players."

Curaçao will also play Ecuador at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City before finishing their Group E campaign against Côte d'Ivoire at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

"It's the first time that Curaçao will play in this big tournament," added Advocaat. "We are a very hard-working team, the kind of team that is always difficult to play against."

Not just a 𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩…🌎
A whole 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲. 🇨🇼🎬🎶

See you at the @fifaworldcup!#TheBlueWave #Curaçao pic.twitter.com/ozNEHFLAE5 — Curaçao National Football Team (@TheBlueWaveFFK) May 18, 2026

Sense of joy
The squad announcement on 18 May was accompanied by a video posted on social media in which the football federation described it as "not just a squad announcement ... a whole vibe."

Dutch-born Leandro Bacuna, who plays for Igdir FK in Turkey, will captain the 26-man squad, which includes players from European and American leagues.

Their place at the tournament came through qualifying from the Concacaf region, which covers 41 nations across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Curaçao began their campaign with a 4-1 win over Barbados in June 2024, followed by victories against Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti. That took them through to the final Concacaf qualifying round, where they were drawn in a group with Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda.

In September 2025, they drew 0-0 with Trinidad and Tobago before winning 3-2 at home against Bermuda.

On 10 October, Curaçao beat Jamaica 2-0 to go top of the group after three games.

Four days later, they lost that advantage. A 1-1 draw at home with Trinidad and Tobago, combined with Jamaica's 4-0 win over Bermuda, left Jamaica top on nine points after four games.

Jamaica's subsequent 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago, and Curaçao's 7-0 win over Bermuda, set up a deciding final game in Kingston.

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On 6 June, Curaçao played Aruba in a warm-up friendly at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in the capital, Willemstad.

The federation described the match as "a moment in history" ahead of "an unprecedented journey to the Fifa World Cup", adding that the island would "celebrate, support, and send our team off" before the tournament begins.