A stunningly beautiful Caribbean island smaller than the Isle of Man, with a population of just 158,000, is about to announce itself at the World Cup. Curacao, until now perhaps best known for its eponymous alcoholic drink, will become the smallest nation ever – by both size and population – to take part in the tournament.
"It brings so much joy and pride to the island that you can't describe it. The whole island is turning blue," said Curacao Football Federation (FFK) president Gilbert Martina.
“Curacao, population 158,000, becomes smallest nation ever to qualify for World Cup.”
They are not even a fully sovereign nation, being part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and only one of their World Cup squad – Tahith Chong – was born on the island. The other 25 players all hail from the mainland Netherlands, a shift from the days of local amateur players that began when they started hiring big-name Dutch managers, starting with Patrick Kluivert in 2015.
Goalkeeper Eloy Room, 37, was the first member of this squad to play for Curacao in 2015, with ex-Aston Villa and Cardiff midfielder Leandro Bacuna among those to follow in 2016. "We've done something so nice for Curacao. I started this journey 10 years ago and wanted to make the people from Curacao proud," Bacuna said in the pre-match news conference. His brother Juninho, who has played for Huddersfield, Rangers and Birmingham, followed in 2019.
Some 18 players in the squad have represented the Netherlands at youth levels, with two – Riechedly Bazoer and Joshua Brenet – winning senior caps. Now they face a daunting Group E: Germany (whom they meet on Sunday), Ecuador and Ivory Coast. Thousands of Blue Wave fans are expected for their World Cup debut in Houston, with some same-day charter flights from the island.
"People look at us always having fun and dancing. We are all together. But as soon as the referee blows the whistle we have one thing on our mind – getting a result," captain Leandro Bacuna said.
And in another bit of history, on-again, off-again manager Dick Advocaat will become the oldest boss in World Cup history at the age of 78. "The manager keeps saying we are not finished. We want to show people as small as we are, we have a big heart. If you have a big heart I believe you can get far," Bacuna added.