This is the smallest country in World Cup history to qualify for soccer’s biggest tournament

Four debutants will be making their World Cup bow this summer: Jordan, Uzbekistan and two of the smallest countries ever to qualify for the event - Cape Verde and Curaçao.

Capo Verde, a cluster of islands off the west coast of Africa, with a population of just over 491,000, booked their place after defeating Eswatini on October 13, 2025. In doing so they became the smallest nation in terms of land size to qualify for the tournament.

That record lasted little more than a month. On November 18, Curaçao joined them, securing top spot in their qualifying group after a 0–0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston on the final match day of CONCACAF qualifying.

In terms of land size (171 square miles) and population (185,000 inhabitants), Curaçao is the smallest country in World Cup history to qualify.

Curaçao unbeaten on the way to their first World Cup

It was former Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat who got them this far. Curaçao breezed through the qualifying round with victories over Saint Lucia, Haiti, Bermuda and Jamaica to finish unbeaten in the section.

Advocaat stepped down in February 2026 due to personal reasons to be replaced by another Dutchman, former Feyenoord boss Fred Rutten, who will lead the Caribbean team in their maiden World Cup.

Curaçao‘s soccer history

Originally a part of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao gained autonomy in 2007 to become a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The national soccer team was formerly recognized by FIFA and CONCACAF after the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in 2010.

The Blue Wave made their official debut against the Dominican Republic in a friendly on August 20, 2011 - suffering a 1-0 defeat. The team had to wait for their first win, which came against the US Virgin Islands later that year.

The first silverware, the Caribbean Cup, arrived in June 2017 - the team defeated Martinique in the semifinal then Jamaica in the final to secure the trophy.

At this summer’s World Cup, Rutten‘s troops have landed in Group C and make their debut against Germany in Houston on June 14.

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