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Curacao Qualifies For FIFA World Cup 2026: Curacao scripted history as they bagged the biggest achievement in their football existence so far after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. They have become the smallest nation by population to seal their place in the mega event, which is scheduled to be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Curacao played out a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on the last day of CONCACAF qualifying. Panama and Haiti also booked their spots in a tense final round of qualifying. All set to make their maiden World Cup appearance, Curacao is a tiny island which is located in the Caribbean, which boasts a population of just 156,115 people and a land mass of just 444 square kilometres.

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Curacao's population is less than Noida and Delhi

Curacao surpassed Iceland’s 2018 record when the Nordic nation qualified with more than double the former's population. Diving into the explanation of the scale of their achievement, Curacao’s population is almost one-tenth that of NOIDA, a city in India’s National Capital Region projected to reach one million people this year. On the other hand, India's capital, Delhi, is currently home to about 3.5 crore people. Curacao finished as the only undefeated nation in the tournament and finished atop Group B with 12 points.

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Their incredible run included a dominating 7–0 victory over Bermuda, the largest win by any team in the round and a result that helped them edge out Jamaica by a single point.

Curacao will learn their group-stage opponents on December 5, when FIFA conducts the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C.

The final playoff spots from CONCACAF went to Jamaica and Suriname. They will now compete in the six-team inter-continental tournament in March, joining Bolivia, New Caledonia, DR Congo and Iraq in a battle for two remaining World Cup berths.

Notably, Curacao are managed by the former Premier League boss Dick Advocaat, who missed the match against Jamaica for personal reasons. He was the manager of the Netherlands national team for three stints and managed South Korea, Belgium and Russia before taking the job with Curacao.

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