Curaçao produced one of the most remarkable moments in football history on Tuesday by becoming the smallest country by population ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Their goalless draw against Jamaica in Kingston was enough to secure a place in the 2026 tournament. With a population of just 158,000, the Caribbean island within the Kingdom of the Netherlands broke Iceland’s previous record from 2018, when the Nordic country qualified with more than double Curaçao’s population.
Images of Curaçao’s players and supporters celebrating their historic achievement quickly went viral as the tiny nation booked its first ever World Cup ticket.
To understand the scale of this milestone, Curaçao has a population of about 156,115 people as of January 1, 2025. Meanwhile, Delhi, India’s capital, has an estimated population of about 3.5 crore.
Qualification
Curaçao’s qualification capped an unbeaten run in Group B where they finished with 12 points. The team was led by veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, although he missed the decisive match due to a family matter. Known as the Blue Wave, the side delivered several standout performances throughout the qualifying stage. Their 7–0 demolition of Bermuda was the biggest win by any team in the round and ultimately proved decisive as it gave them the edge over Jamaica by a single point.
The final match in Kingston provided high tension and late drama. Jamaica, managed by former England boss Steve McClaren, came agonisingly close on multiple occasions. They hit the woodwork three times in the second half and nearly snatched victory in the 87th minute when Bailey Tyre Cadamarteri’s header ricocheted off the post. Deep into stoppage time, the hosts were awarded a penalty after Dujuan Richards went down in the area. However, VAR overturned the decision, triggering emotional celebrations on Curaçao’s bench as they held on for the draw that secured their first ever World Cup qualification.
CONCAF Qualifiers
In other CONCACAF qualifiers, Panama claimed their second World Cup appearance with a dominant 3–0 victory over El Salvador, finishing on top of Group A with 12 points. Suriname, who began the final round level on points with Panama, saw their hopes of automatic qualification end after a 3–1 loss to Guatemala, although they still booked a place in the inter federation playoffs.
Group C delivered another major storyline as Haiti returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 after beating Nicaragua 2–0. Goals from Louicius Don Deedson and Ruben Providence helped them finish the group with 11 points. The win held added emotional weight as Haiti were forced to play their home fixtures on Curaçaoan soil due to the unrest affecting their nation.
The playoff places from CONCACAF went to Jamaica and Suriname who will now compete in a six team inter continental tournament in March. They will be joined by Bolivia, New Caledonia, DR Congo and Iraq with only two World Cup spots available.
Curaçao will discover their group stage opponents on December 5 when FIFA conducts the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D C.
