Curacao FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Resilience is the name of the game for debutant

Curaçao – a team composed mainly of players who grew up in the Netherlands – will cherish the hopes of the smallest country (in terms of population) to one day participate in the FIFA World Cup.

The team includes some exciting youngsters such as Tahith Chong – Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year winner in 2017-2018 – and Sontje Hansen, the highest goalscorer in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, who then played for the Netherlands.

At the same time, the experience of veterans Eloy Room and Leandro Bacuna – both with record appearances for Curaçao – helps the team’s balance. Bacuna can breathe new life into the team from dead-ball situations, especially with strikers like Gervane Kastaneer – with a 185cm frame – ready for set-pieces.

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Known as the Blue Family, Curaçao’s greatest strength is its never-say-never mentality and close-knit chemistry. These elements saw it beat Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad and Tobago and Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.

When the manager, Dick Advocaat, was briefly unavailable during the qualifying matches for personal reasons, assistant coach Dean Gorre stepped in and under him the team drew against Jamaica to secure qualification.

Although the team is the weakest in its group, it could rely on resilience and rookie luck to do well at the World Cup.

Player to watch out for: Tahith Chong

The former Manchester United winger may have had a dull spell at Sheffield United this season (22 appearances, one assist), but his stats for the national team (three goals, one assist in five appearances) paint a different picture. His pace down the flanks and ability to drive through balls into the final third could prove to be Curacao’s main attacking strategy.

Manager: Dick Advocaat

Veteran coach Dick Advocaat’s courage and reputation made Curaçao a dark horse in the CONCACAF region, as the team scored 28 goals in 10 games and conceded only five.

Advocaat had led the Netherlands to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in the United States of America in 1994. As he returns to America as the tournament’s oldest-ever coach – at the age of 78 – he will attempt to write another inspiring story, this time about the underdogs.

TEAM

• Goalkeepers: Tyrick Bodak, Trevor Doornbusch, Eloy Room

• Defenders: Riechedly Bazoer, Joshua Brenet, Roshon Van Eijma, Sherel Floranus, Deveron Fonville, Juriën Gaari, Armando Obispo, Shurandy Sambo

• Midfielders: Juninho Bacuna, Leandro Bacuna, Livano Comenencia, Kevin Felida, Ar’jany Martha, Tyrese Noslin, Godfried Roemeratoe

• Forwards: Jeremy Antonisse, Tahith Chong, Kenji Gorré, Sontje Hansen, Gervane Kastaneer, Brandley Kuwas, Jürgen Locadia, Jearl Margaritha

Published on June 7, 2026