Curaçao etched their name into football history on Tuesday by becoming the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, sealing their place at the 2026 tournament with a nerve-shredding 0–0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston. With just 158,000 residents, the Caribbean island, within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is now the tiniest country (by population) to reach the global finals, surpassing Iceland’s 2018 record when the Nordic nation qualified with more than double Curaçao’s population.
To illustrate the scale of the achievement, Curaçao’s population is almost one-tenth that of NOIDA, a city in India’s National Capital Region projected to reach one million people this year. India’s capital, Delhi, is currently home to about 3.5 crore people.
Curaçao’s qualification came at the end of an unbeaten campaign that saw them finish atop Group B with 12 points. Managed by veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, who missed the decisive match due to a family issue, the team known as the Blue Wave impressed throughout qualifying. Their run included a thumping 7–0 victory over Bermuda, the largest win by any team in the round and a result that ultimately proved crucial as they edged out Jamaica by a single point.
The finale in Kingston delivered high drama. Jamaica, coached by former England manager Steve McClaren, struck the woodwork three times in the second half and nearly broke Curaçao hearts in the 87th minute when Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri’s header crashed off the post. Deep into stoppage time, the hosts were awarded a penalty after Dujuan Richards went down in the box, only for VAR to overturn the decision, sparking emotional celebrations on the Curaçao bench as they held on for the draw that sealed their first-ever World Cup berth.
Elsewhere in CONCACAF qualifying, Panama secured their second World Cup appearance with a commanding 3–0 win over El Salvador, finishing as Group A winners with 12 points. Suriname, who entered the final round level on points with Panama, saw their automatic qualification hopes dashed after a 3–1 defeat to Guatemala, though they still managed to earn a place in the inter-federation playoffs.
In Group C, Haiti completed one of the region’s most surprising campaigns, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 after a 2–0 victory over Nicaragua. Goals from Louicius Don Deedson and Ruben Providence ensured Haiti topped the group with 11 points. The win was especially symbolic, coming on Curaçaoan soil as Haiti continued to play their home fixtures away due to unrest back home.
The final playoff spots from CONCACAF went to Jamaica and Suriname, who now advance to a six-team inter-continental tournament in March, joining Bolivia, New Caledonia, DR Congo and Iraq in a battle for two remaining World Cup berths.
Curaçao will learn their group-stage opponents on December 5, when FIFA conducts the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C.
