The smallest country in World Cup history: Curacao out to upset Germany

With its 444 km² and just under 160,000 inhabitants, this island in the southern Caribbean, nestled north of Venezuela, is the smallest territory ever to qualify for a World Cup.

To put it in perspective, the island’s entire population is smaller than some record attendances at matches in the competition.

And you can drive from one end of the country to the other in less than an hour. Statistically, the chances of finding world-class footballers there were, on paper, close to zero.

An autonomous state since 2010 and the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Curacao still belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands but has its own Constitution, government, Prime Minister and local Parliament.

As for its economy, it is among the world’s most modest: Apple generates the equivalent of the national GDP in less than a week.

Only one player born in the country

Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in October 2010, the Curacao team was reborn in March 2011. On August 20th, 2011, Curacao played its first match against the Dominican Republic, a 1-0 defeat in a friendly.

Fifteen years ago, the national team simply didn’t exist. Fifteen years later, they are taking on Germany in the group stage of a 48-nation World Cup.

This is one of the most fascinating paradoxes of this World Cup: all the players in the team were born in the Netherlands, and the starting eleven that earned a draw in Jamaica (0-0) to send Curacao to the World Cup was made up entirely of dual nationals.

Of the 26-man squad called up for the tournament, only one player, Tahith Chong, was born on the island. The other 25 grew up in the Netherlands.

The strategy is deliberate and methodical: Dick Advocaat, Curaçao’s manager since 2024, has set up a proactive recruitment network, convincing players of Curaçaoan descent who struggled to break into the Dutch national team to join Curacao instead.

These are players whose parents or grandparents were born on the island, trained in the best Dutch academies, but who never managed to establish themselves with the Oranje.

Curacao systematically identified and persuaded them to switch allegiance. It’s an approach that has sparked debate, but its effectiveness is no longer in question.

The qualification was particularly celebrated in the Netherlands, where a large diaspora lives. 700 people gathered in a concert hall in Rotterdam. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima posted a message on X: "It’s fantastic that two countries from the Kingdom will be competing for the world title this summer. We proudly congratulate Curacao."

Dick Advocaat, the architect

The team is coached by Dick Advocaat, former Netherlands manager on three occasions, now 78 years old, who has also managed Belgium, South Korea, Russia and Serbia during his career.

Advocaat left his post in February to care for his ill daughter before returning to lead the team in May, after a brief spell under fellow Dutchman Fred Rutten.

It was a highly symbolic return for the man who will go down in history as the coach who took Curaçao to the World Cup.

Under his guidance, Curacao enjoyed a flawless qualifying campaign in CONCACAF, going unbeaten in ten matches (seven wins, three draws).

A tough group, but nothing to lose

The task ahead looks particularly tough: this Sunday, CuraCao will take on Germany, the group favourites, before facing Ecuador and Ivory Coast.

On paper, the mission seems impossible. But that’s exactly what makes this story so special. One of Advocaat’s assistants, Dean Gorré, a former Ajax and Feyenoord player, sums up the spirit of the squad: "Everything starts with a dream, then you have to believe in that dream. You have to turn that belief into a plan and work out that plan. That’s what we did."

Before leaving for the United States, nearly 15,000 fans packed the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, CuraCao’s capital, to celebrate the team during a friendly against neighbouring Aruba, which ended in a resounding 4-0 win.

 For a country of 160,000 souls, it was an exceptional turnout.

Miracle or well-oiled system? Probably a bit of both. The Blue Wave heads to the World Cup carried by an entire people, scattered between the Caribbean and the Netherlands, but more united than ever.