Curaçao (Pantera Negra) – World Cup Profile | OneFootball

Curaçao is making history in this World Cup. They’ve become the smallest ever nation to qualify both in terms of population and land area.

The entirety of Curaçao has just 155,000 people and its area is only 181st biggest in the world with 171 square miles. To give you context, the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island, has the total area of 1,545 square miles. So Curaçao is about 10 times smaller than that, while its population is almost 10 times smaller than Rhode Island.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at Curaçao.

How They Qualified

Curaçao’s project started in 2019, when they began recruiting players born and raised in the Netherlands. Since it is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it gives them an opportunity to recruit guys with a Curaçaoan heritage that have been trained in the Dutch system. Now, all 26 players in the squad were born and raised in the Netherlands.

When the project started, their aim was to qualify for a World Cup, and 2026 was a realistic shot– given the expanded format combined with the USMNT, Canada, and Mexico missing from the qualifiers.

Curaçao started from the second round, where they topped the group with a perfect record and beat Haiti 5-1. Then in the third round, they faced other powerhouses in the Caribbean region– Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

The Curaçaoans passed that test as well, with flying colors. They didn’t lose a single game in their group. On the last match day, they went to Jamaica and managed to earn a point under immense pressure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever.

Key Players

Eloy Room

One of the biggest names associated with Curaçao is their vastly experienced keeper Eloy Room.

Room started playing for Curaçao all the way back in 2015, and now has 71 caps. It’s the second most in the team and at 37 years of age, he is an important leader for them.

Now playing his trade in Miami FC, the keeper spent a long time playing in the Netherlands– turning up for clubs like PSV, Vitesse, and Go Ahead Eagles.

He’s no longer the keeper he once was considering his age. But his experience, leadership, and wisdom will be huge for Curaçao in their first ever World Cup.

Leandro Bacuna

The captain and the most capped player in the current Curaçao squad is Leandro Bacuna, who is like the heart and soul for them.

At 34, he is getting up there a bit in terms of age, just like Room. However, he has valuable experience playing in the Premier League for Aston Villa and Cardiff City.

Now playing for Turkish side Iğdır FK, it will be interesting to see how much Bacuna has left in his legs. He’s going to do whatever he can to make an impact in the World Cup and make all of Curaçao proud.

Potential Breakout Player: Tahith Chong

One of the most exciting players to watch in this Curaçao squad is Tahith Chong, who made his switch back in August.

He’s made instant impact with the team. So far, he has three goals in six caps, and he’s going to want to add to that tally.

Once one of the most promising players in the Manchester United academy, things haven’t gone as planned for Chong, but he’s still in England with Sheffield United. If he turns up in the World Cup and manages to impress people, he could be making a bigger move in the summer.

Coach Profile: Dick Advocaat

The biggest strength of Curaçao is undoubtedly their head coach, Dick Advocaat.

Now 78, this vastly experienced coach has worked for so many national teams, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, South Korea, Iraq, and UAE. He came over to Curaçao in 2024 for a new challenge and he ended up making history with them.

Until recently, it appeared that Advocaat had walked away from the job to care for his sick daughter. But because she’s doing much better now, as well as things not working well for Curaçao in their preparations, he’s returned to finish what he started.

Curaçao has struggled in friendlies. But with Advocaat back in charge, the fans will be hoping to see the same Curaçao from World Cup qualifiers, and shock the world in a good way.

Fan Culture

Curaçao plays their home games at Ergilio Hato Stadium, which seats 15,000 fans. So it can fit roughly 10% of their entire population.

The stadium was nearly full for their World Cup qualifying games. So although they are known for their love for baseball, soccer is rapidly gaining popularity in Curaçao.

There might not be many people from Curaçao making the trip to the U.S. due to expensive tickets but there will be a lot of people from the Curaçaoan diaspora from the Netherlands coming over to witness the history. So expect an electric atmosphere in all of their games.

Realistically, Curaçao should just aim to earn a point in their group. But making the World Cup itself is a massive deal for them. Now, they are here to enjoy it.

Curaçao Group Stage Fixtures

Germany vs. Curaçao – June 14Houston Stadium, Texas1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PTEcuador vs Curaçao –June 20Kansas City Stadium, Missouri8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT

Ivory Coast vs Curaçao – June 25Philadelphia Stadium, Pennslyvania4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT