A “blue wave” is on its way to the football World Cup – at least that’s what Curaçao’s national team calls itself.
And in the first game of the group stage, they will face four-time champions Germany.
The island country, which lies 60 kilometers north of Venezuela in the Caribbean, caused a sensation when it qualified for the World Cup for the first time.
Smallest participant in World Cup history
Curaçao is one of four newcomers and the smallest participant in the history of the World Cup. The Caribbean island is around 440 square kilometers, or slightly less than the area of the city of Porto Alegre.
With only around 150 thousand inhabitants, it is well behind Iceland, which until then held the record for the smallest population, with 350 thousand inhabitants.
The nation is mainly known for its paradisiacal beaches and diving sites, as well as a liquor that bears its name. Football is not among the country’s main attractions – the most popular sport is baseball.
Several famous baseball players come from Curaçao. Andruw Jones, who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), will be inducted into the American Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
Football is not the national sport
Football is played on the island in three amateur leagues. In the first division, called Promé Divishon, ten teams compete against each other. Since 2025 there has also been a national cup.
“In the past, football was much bigger here. Between the 1960s and 1980s, everyone followed it,” says sports journalist Carl Ruiter, who has worked in Curaçao for 11 years.
At that time, sold-out matches were common. Today fans mainly attend playoff games.
Undefeated in the qualifiers
Qualifying for the World Cup gave a new boost to football on the island. In the team’s last home games, the stadiums were full.
“This shows that the entire nation really supported together, they really wanted to go to the World Cup and support the team”, says Ruiter.
The increase in the number of participants to 48 teams benefited Curaçao. Even so, the classification was an achievement: the team remained undefeated in the qualifiers.
In the end, a draw against Jamaica was enough. When the Jamaicans were awarded a penalty in stoppage time, with the score at 0-0, all of Curaçao suffered together. However, due to the VAR (video referee), the decision was overturned, and the team secured the necessary point.
After the final whistle, the players cried with joy. “We made the impossible possible,” said striker Kenji Gorré on camera. “Words fail me. A dream has come true.”
Euphoria on the island
“I was in Kingston for the game,” says Ruiter, the journalist, of his experience in the final match against Jamaica. “We didn’t sleep.”
In their homeland, fans danced all night, with fireworks and motorcades. The team was welcomed by the fans the following day, and the party only came to an end after 24 hours. “Qualifying for the World Cup brought our country together,” says Ruiter.
People are proud of their team. Today, buses in the colors of the “blue wave” run around the island, and players like captain Leandro Bacuna have become role models for young people who now also want to play football.
Almost only players from the Netherlands
But what explains the success of Curaçao, ranked 82nd in the FIFA rankings? The team has only existed since 2011. This is explained by the country’s history, as Curaçao was a Dutch colony.
In 1954, it became part of the Netherlands Antilles, along with Aruba and Bonaire, and became a nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010, Curaçao became autonomous, with its own government and parliament and, finally, its own national team.
In January 2024, experienced Dutch coach Dick Advocaat took over the team and invested in Dutch players. This is possible because Curaçao still belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and its inhabitants have a Dutch passport.
Midfielder Tahith Chong is one of the few players born in Curaçao. Most of the others were born in the Netherlands, and many were trained in Europe and also work there.
To be able to represent the country, the players’ parents or grandparents must have been born on the island.
A few weeks before the World Cup, drama unfolded on the Caribbean island. In February, coach Advocaat announced his resignation due to his daughter’s serious illness.
His successor was Fred Rutten, former coach of Schalke and PSV Eindhoven. Under the new command, the team lost the first two games.
In May, the turnaround came: Advocaat became available again, and Rutten resigned. According to the press, players and sponsors would have pushed for Advocaat’s return.
At 78 years old, he will be the oldest coach in World Cup history. Regarding the circumstances of his return, however, the coach preferred not to comment. “We have to look forward.”
Determination as an advantage
Advocaat says his team is difficult to beat.
The president of the Curaçao football federation, Gilbert Martina, declared in an interview with the AFP news agency that the desire to make the impossible possible is one of Curaçao’s strengths.
And this determination will be very useful, as the team will face, in the group stage, not only Germany but also Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
Even so, the objective is to advance to the second phase, says Martina. “If we enter the field with the same energy and attitude as we did in the game against Jamaica, a lot is possible.”
