Curaсao national football team

The Curaçao national football team, governed by the Curaçao Football Federation, represents the island on the international stage. Despite its lack of sovereignty, the Curaçao national team has been a full member of FIFA since 2011, succeeding the Netherlands Antilles national team.

In 2020, renowned Dutch coach Guus Hiddink took over the national team. Midfielder Vurnon Anita, who previously played for clubs such as Ajax and Newcastle United, joined the squad.

On November 19, 2025, Curaçao secured its first-ever participation in the 2026 World Cup. In the final match of the third qualifying round, they drew 0-0 with Jamaica. This allowed the team to finish qualifying with 12 points and take first place in their group, guaranteeing a direct ticket to the tournament. With a population of approximately 155,000 and an area of ​​just 444 square kilometers, Curaçao is the most sparsely populated and compact country ever to reach the World Cup finals.

Most of the team's players were born and developed in the Netherlands, with the exception of rare cases such as Tahith Chong and Jurich Karolina. Many of them have experience playing for Dutch junior and youth teams. Since the late 2010s, the Curaçao Football Federation has actively recruited players with Curaçao roots from the Netherlands, many of whom had never previously visited the island.