Curaçao World Cup 2026 team guide

This article is portion of nan Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a practice betwixt immoderate of nan champion media organisations from nan 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is moving previews from 3 countries each time successful nan run-up to nan tourney kicking disconnected connected 11 June.

The plan

A Fifa personnel since 2011, Curaçao person spent years building towards a first World Cup appearance. As an autonomous state wrong nan Kingdom of nan Netherlands, nan land has been capable to tie connected a rich | excavation of Dutch-raised talent pinch Curaçaoan roots.

They were good prepared for nan qualifying rhythm and had an advantage pinch nan World Cup being hosted by nan United States, Mexico and Canada. “We knew we wouldn’t look them successful qualifying, which often proved a stumbling block,” said nan goalkeeper Eloy Room astir this edition’s Concacaf format. “So that became a existent trigger for each of us, like: ‘if there’s a chance to scope nan World Cup, it’s now.’”

Room mentions important qualifying games against Haiti, a 5-1 win, and nan goalless tie pinch Trinidad that made them realise thing typical could beryllium possible. Then came nan location crippled against Jamaica, which Curaçao went connected to triumph 2-0. When they drew nan reverse limb 0-0, they achieved nan unthinkable and qualified for nan World Cup, remaining unbeaten successful their 10 matches and making them nan smallest federation to return portion successful a World Cup, some successful population, astir 156,000, and onshore area, 171 quadrate miles.

“I deliberation God was pinch america that night,” said Leandro Bacuna, nan 34-year-old midfielder and Curaçao captain. “Because you’ve seen nan game, everyone’s seen nan game. Couple of balls connected nan station … Everywhere. But our keeper was great, truthful I deliberation it was meant for us. It was a communicative written for us.”

To past a group pinch Germany, Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador would beryllium a immense achievement. “We do want to proceed successful nan aforesaid measurement we’ve played successful caller years, by playing possession-based shot from nan back,” says Room. “But we will person to accommodate because we’re going to a World Cup wherever we whitethorn person little of nan shot than our opponents. Still, we person to instrumentality to our ain strengths arsenic we tin play bully football.”

The coach

At 78, Dick Advocaat will go nan oldest coach to return portion successful a World Cup, surpassing nan grounds held by Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 erstwhile he led Greece successful 2010. The erstwhile Rangers and Sunderland head took complaint successful 2024 and guided Curaçao to qualification, making it 1 of his finest achievements of his career.

Yet successful February he stepped down to beryllium pinch his sick girl and was succeeded by Fred Rutten, who had been incapable to return nan domiciled successful 2023 owed to aesculapian reasons. But erstwhile it became clear that nan business involving Advocaat’s girl had improved, a behind-the-scenes push gathered momentum to bring him back, arsenic he remained highly popular. Rumours circulated that sponsors had applied unit connected nan federation to reinstate him and nan business intensified, aft which Rutten stepped speech of his ain accord, clearing nan measurement for Advocaat’s return.

Star player

Leandro Bacuna has represented Curaçao for much than a decade and has played longest astatine nan highest level, having spent 3 seasons successful nan Premier League pinch Aston Villa. Together pinch his younger relative Juninho he leads nan squad and forms portion of 1 of nan island’s best-known shot families, pinch his relative Johnsen and their father, John, having represented nan erstwhile Netherlands Antilles. Leandro is hugely celebrated among nan section population, involving himself wrong nan community. On world trips, he tin often beryllium recovered helping retired pinch nan luggage of nan team, aliases different tasks, ever fresh to lend a manus erstwhile needed.

Juninho Bacuna comes from a well-known footballing Curaçao family. Photograph: ANP/Shutterstock

One to watch

Livano Comenencia spent 9 years astatine nan PSV academy, earlier playing 2 seasons for their reserve broadside successful nan Dutch 2nd tier. A regular for respective Dutch younker nationalist teams, he moved to Juventus successful 2023, wherever he further developed his crippled pinch nan club’s Next Gen team. Now astatine FC Zürich, nan midfielder underlined his increasing value pinch a important extremity successful nan 2-0 triumph complete Jamaica. Technically polished and comfortable dictating play from deep, he combines composure connected nan shot pinch nan motor of a classical box-to-box midfielder.

Unsung hero

A dependable beingness astatine nan back, Juriën Gaari was selected for Curaçao while playing for nan Dutch amateur broadside Kozakken Boys and was past portion of Curaçao’s Caribbean Cup triumph and nan country’s first Gold Cup information successful 2017. It marked nan commencement of a profession that has since taken him to RKC Waalwijk and nan Saudi clubs Al-Hazem and Abha Club. Although a precocious bloomer, he has amassed important world acquisition pinch almost 60 games for Curaçao. Never 1 to activity nan spotlight, he nevertheless commands respect and is an important beingness wrong nan team.

Probable starting XI

What to expect from fans astatine games?

It is each singing and dancing, nan Caribbean vibe wrapped successful a lukewarm exuberance. After Curaçao qualified, the euphony creator Jeon released Mama Wa’, a opus dedicated to nan Blue Wave, nan team’s nickname. The opus captures nan pridefulness surrounding nan achievement, pinch respective members of nan squad mentioned. Estimates propose much than 3,000 fans will recreation for nan opening lucifer against Germany, pinch charter-flight packages being arranged from nan island. Around three-quarters of that number are expected for nan different group games.

Relationship pinch nan US/Trump?

Curaçao tends to return a broadly pragmatic position of nan United States, viewing it done nan prism of location stability, economics and neighbouring Venezuela, whose coastline lies 65km away, underlining nan island’s strategical position successful nan confederate Caribbean. Foreign affairs and defence are handled by nan Netherlands, of which Curaçao is simply a constituent country.

In respect to nan tournament, nan precocious prices frighten to limit nan travelling support. “It’s conscionable incredibly expensive,” said Angelo Cijntje, Curaçao’s capacity coach. “This is not affordable for nan mean personification successful Curaçao. I’m wondering really they’re going to negociate it. People will do everything they can, they mightiness moreover beryllium consenting to waste their car conscionable to acquisition this. But it’s a existent pity Fifa and nan US are making it truthful difficult to beryllium there.”