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Curaçao

La Familia Azul

Capital
Willemstad
Confederation
North & Central America
Population
~156,000
Languages
Papiamentu, Dutch, English, Spanish
World Cups
1st appearance
Best result
Debut tournament

The Anthem

Himno di Kòrsou

Lanta nos bos ban kanta / Let us raise our voices and sing…

Sung in Papiamentu, the island's own creole language — a blend of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and West African tongues.

▶ Listen on YouTube ↗

The Legends

Names that echo

Dick Advocaat

Head coach

The vastly experienced Dutch manager who, in his late 70s, steered tiny Curaçao to the World Cup.

Leandro Bacuna

Midfielder · 2010s–20s

Premier League and Championship veteran anchoring the side.

Tahith Chong

Winger · 2010s–20s

A Manchester United academy graduate among the island's diaspora talents.

Fun Facts

Worth knowing

  1. 01

    With only ~156,000 people, Curaçao is the smallest nation by population EVER to qualify for a World Cup — taking the record from Iceland.

  2. 02

    It qualified unbeaten, and clinched its place in Kingston, Jamaica, in November 2025.

  3. 03

    The capital Willemstad's candy-colored Dutch colonial waterfront is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At the World Cup

The story so far

A genuine fairytale: a Caribbean island of 156,000 people, drawing on its Dutch footballing diaspora and the wily veteran coach Dick Advocaat, becomes the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup. 2026 is its first dance.

2026

The smallest nation ever

Curaçao arrives at its first World Cup having rewritten the record books before a ball is even kicked — the tiniest country, by population, ever to make it.

Group Stage

Their three fixtures