Qualification successful
The tiny state of Curaçao gets its ticket to the World Cup
November 19, 2025 – 7:01 a.mReading time: 1 min.
They have achieved something sensational: the team from Curaçao has secured a place for next year’s World Cup.
With a 0-0 draw in Jamaica, Curaçao achieved something historic: the island nation is going to the World Cup for the first time – and setting a record in the process. Never before has a country with so few inhabitants bought its ticket to the World Cup.
Despite the absence of coach Dick Advocaat, who traveled to the Netherlands for family reasons, the team remained unbeaten in the final group game. In CONCACAF qualifying group B, the goalless draw was enough to maintain first place and secure a place in the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
For the Caribbean country with an official population of 156,115 (as of January, according to the national statistics authority), it is the first time it has taken part in a World Cup. Curaçao replaces Iceland as the smallest FIFA state to date with a World Cup ticket – the country qualified in 2018 and has more than twice as many inhabitants.
In addition to Curaçao, two other teams from the CONCACAF association were able to qualify. Panama beat El Salvador 3-0 and is at the World Cup for the second time since 2018. Haiti won Group C with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua, leaving favored teams Honduras and Costa Rica behind. It is the Haitians’ first World Cup participation since the 1974 tournament in Germany.