Vacation, beach, blue water – that’s what Europeans probably associate with Curacao. Now the Caribbean country is on the verge of sensational World Cup qualification. With a very special recipe.
Justin Kluivert would have been a kind of “royal transfer”. But Dick Advocaat didn’t get the son of legendary striker Patrick Kluivert when he took over as coach of the small island state of Curacao in January 2024.
They would have given Kluivert junior the right to play for the country in the Caribbean. The Kluiverts have roots in Curacao and Justin hadn’t made that many senior international matches for the Netherlands – FIFA would have given him the OK too. However, Kluivert decided to continue his career in the “real” Oranje team, with whom he is currently well on the way to qualifying for the World Cup.
Smallest country ever
Kluivert and his friends could then definitely meet Curacao at the World Cup in 2026 – because even without their dream player, the Caribbean footballers are still on course to qualify for the World Cup. After three rounds, they lead their qualifying group B in the North and Central America region with seven points. If they maintain their position in the remaining three games, they will be at the World Cup. As the smallest country to ever qualify for a World Cup.
How does this work in a country that only has around 150,000 inhabitants and hardly any competitive football pitches? The answer is simple: by looking for enough talented players in the Netherlands, where there is a huge community with Caribbean roots. That’s what Advocaat and his people did. And they found it.
Dick Advocaat – 78 years young
“There are a large number of players who hope to qualify for the Dutch national team one day. Some are now 23, 24, 25 years old. They don’t think so much about Oranje anymore. You have to try them out.”said Advocaat when he joined in early 2024. Together with the new technical director Khalid Sinouh, he got to work and identified the possible actors.
Curacao head coach Dick Advocaat
And lo and behold: Curacao is currently playing the World Cup qualifiers with a team that consists almost entirely of professional footballers living in the Netherlands. For example, in the gate of Curacao there is Eloy Room. The 78-year-old Advocaat found the Nijmegen-born 36-year-old on the substitute bench at Vitesse Arnhem, so to speak.
Concentrated experience from the Eredivisie
Defending in front of him are Shuramby Sambo (Sparta Rotterdam), Armando Obispo (PSV Eindhoven), Jurien Gaari (formerly RKC Waalwijk) and Joshua Brenet, who played for TSG Hoffenheim between 2018 and 2022 before his time at Twente Enschede, so to speak with concentrated experience from the Dutch first division, the Eredivisie.
The most valuable player next to playmaker Juninho Bacuna, who now plays for Gaziantep in Turkey after years on the British island, is certainly Riechedly Bazoer, who moved from Ajax Amsterdam to VfL Wolfsburg in 2017 for around 15 million euros. The now 29-year-old was considered a huge talent in Lower Saxony, but was unable to meet expectations. The Wolfsburg team loaned him out once to FC Porto and once to FC Utrecht before selling him to Vitesse Arnheim for 1.5 million euros in 2019.
Hoffenheim is also in the game
The vita of center forward Jürgen Locadia is also interesting. The 31-year-old – born in Emmen, Netherlands – was trained in the youth ranks of PSV Eindhoven. The 1.93 meter tall giant then started a tour around the world. He played in Brighton, England, in Iran for Persepolis, and in the USA he wore the Cincinnati jersey. But the Bundesliga also knows him: between 2020 and 2022 he played for VfL Bochum and TSG Hoffenheim.
Curacao midfielder Jürgen Locadia in a duel
Not a single one of the eleven starting players who confidently defeated top favorite Jamaica 2-0 last Saturday (October 11th, 2025) was born on Curacao. Advocaat did a great job restructuring the team and quickly formed a team from a group of individual players.
“Like a family”
“We’re just like family”the 21-year-old Livano Comenencia describes the cohesion in the team. Advocaat discovered the talented midfielder in the youth department of Juventus Turin, where Comenencia moved in 2023 after training at PSV Eindhoven. Although the “Blue Wave” is ragtag, Advocaat speaks of one “unique troupe”the sense of belonging and the passion of the team “impressive”.
And so Curacao could take advantage of what may be a unique opportunity. Ultimately, the USA, Mexico and Canada are directly qualified for the XXL World Cup with 48 teams and are eliminated as possible qualifying opponents. Curacao now has to deal with Trinidad and Tobago twice and Jamaica once. “Three more games”says Comenencia: “We just have to win all three. Nothing more, nothing less.”