Curaçao secured a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on Tuesday, November 18, to become the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a FIFA World Cup. The achievement ensures the Caribbean side will join fellow CONCACAF qualifiers Panama and Haiti in next year’s tournament.
Finishing the qualifying tournament as the only undefeated team, Curaçao topped Group B with 12 points, marking a historic first World Cup qualification for the nation. The result is particularly remarkable given Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 200 million people, failed to qualify despite having higher-budget football infrastructure and more globally recognized players.
Curaçao achieved this milestone despite the absence of coach Dick Advocaat, who missed the decisive match after returning to the Netherlands for family reasons. The 78-year-old veteran coach has previously managed the Netherlands national team on three occasions, as well as South Korea, Belgium, and Russia, before taking charge of Curaçao.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Curaçao, the country had a population of 156,115 as of January 2025, surpassing the previous record held by Iceland, which had a population of just over 350,000 when it qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Panama also booked its place in the World Cup for the second time after defeating El Salvador 3-0. Cesar Blackman and Erick Davis scored in the first half, with Jose Luis Rodriguez adding a late goal in the 85th minute. Panama finished as Group A leaders with 12 points, while Suriname ended second with nine points. Panama’s only previous World Cup appearance was in 2018 in Russia.
Haiti rounded out the CONCACAF qualifiers following a surprising campaign in Group C, topping favorites Honduras and Costa Rica. Haiti secured qualification by defeating Nicaragua 2-1, with Loicious Deedson scoring in the ninth minute and Ruben Providence adding a goal before halftime. Haiti finished the group with 11 points, while Honduras and Costa Rica ended with nine and seven points, respectively. This marks Haiti’s first World Cup qualification since their debut in Germany in 1974.
