Curaçao's historic road to the World Cup: the Bacuna story

How Curaçao really qualified for the World Cup

Curaçao captain Leandro Bacuna has opened up about the emotional turmoil inside the squad on the night they sealed their historic 0–0 draw with Jamaica to reach the 2026 World Cup. The goalless result made Curaçao the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament (1).

"Eles me contaram a notícia, e eu fiquei um pouco chocado. Pensei: 'por que isso vai acontecer com a gente justamente neste momento tão importante?'. Quando ouvi a notícia, fiquei triste, mas quando saí da sala pensei: 'Tinha que acontecer dessa forma'," Bacuna revealed (1).

The squad received devastating personal news about manager Dick Advocaat just before the match. Bacuna said the team resolved to fight twice as hard – for the coach, for his daughter, for the nation. "Precisávamos fazer isso acontecer," he said (1).

First training session in the USA

The squad has landed in the United States and completed their first training session ahead of the World Cup. The mood around the camp is described as positive, with the team – dubbed "Advocaat and his nephews" back home – riding the wave after a 4–0 send-off win against Aruba (6).

Germany up first in Group E

Curaçao's World Cup debut comes against Germany in Group E, which also includes Ecuador and Ivory Coast. The opening match against the four-time world champions is the kind of fixture this team dreamed about (2) (3).

Predictions have Germany running away with the group, with Curaçao written off by most observers. But this is a team that has already defied every expectation just by being here (5).

Curaçao goalkeeper ready for Neuer

One of the squad's goalkeepers has spoken about the prospect of facing Manuel Neuer, calling it a special moment. For a nation of 160,000 people, sharing a pitch with a World Cup-winning goalkeeper is the stuff of fantasy. That fantasy is now real (4).