Coach supports Klein Curaçao to surprise at the World Cup

Curaçao coach Fred Rutten says the smallest World Cup qualifiers are not going to the final just to make up the numbers and have the fighting spirit to cause an upset in their debut at the tournament DFS4JSz.

Rutten said the way the Caribbean country of 156,000 fought through qualifying boded well for its campaign at the June 11-July 19 tournament in North America, where it faces Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E.

“We have three chances, and the first chance is against Germany,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.

“So it’s not over for us in the first game.

“When it comes to a world championship or a European championship, there were generally always surprises.

“And why not for us this year?

“We have a team of fighters, and they never give up.”

The 82nd-ranked Caribbeans play world number 27 Australia at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in a friendly on Tuesday, Rutten’s second match in charge since succeeding veteran coach and compatriot Dick Advocaat.

The first was a 2-0 defeat to China in a friendly in Sydney last Friday.

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Beating Australia on home turf would be a major statement before heading to the World Cup, and Rutten said he expected better from his players now that they had settled in after a long trip to Australia.

He also said he had resisted making any major changes to the squad since taking over from Advocaat, who was celebrated as a hero in Curacao after guiding him through qualifying.

Lawyer resigned a month ago to spend more time with his sick daughter, but Rutten said the 78-year-old was keeping an eye on his other footballing ‘family’.

“He wished the team the best of luck because this team is a family,” he said.

“He was part of the family and still feels that way.”

Published on March 30, 2026