Curacao makes history as the smallest nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026

The Caribbean nation of Curaçao has made history, becoming the smallest country ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after securing a crucial draw against Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.

Iceland previously held the record when they qualified for the 2018 World Cup, but Curaçao surpasses them by a significant margin.

The island has a population of just about 150,000 people—comparable to towns like Cambridge or Huddersfield in the UK—and covers only 171 square miles, making it even smaller than the Isle of Man.

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The result was devastating for Jamaica. McClaren resigned immediately after the match, as his team needed a win in Kingston to earn their first World Cup appearance since 1998.

Their hopes were shattered when an injury-time penalty was overturned by VAR, sealing the goalless draw.

Curaçao’s remarkable achievement also sets another record: head coach Dick Advocaat, absent from the match due to personal reasons, will be the oldest coach ever to appear at a World Cup. At 78, he surpasses German coach Otto Rehhagel, who led Greece at age 71 in 2010.

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Located just 37 miles off the Venezuelan coast, Curaçao only gained status as an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

A decade ago, they were ranked 150th in the FIFA world rankings; today, they have climbed to 82nd.

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Their qualification has been aided by the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup and the automatic spots given to hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Curaçao now joins Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, and Jordan as one of four nations making their World Cup debut next summer.