Surprise in Central America: Curaçao heads to the World Championship

2025-11-19 09:02 © AFP

Curaçao will become the smallest nation to ever play in a World Cup.

In their final qualifying match, the players from this island drew 0-0 with Jamaica, which was enough for them to advance to the decisive World Cup stage.

During added time, Jamaica earned a penalty kick, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.

According to official data, Curaçao has a population of 156,115. This is more than Iceland, which was previously the smallest country to ever participate in a World Cup.

Jamaica will play in the additional intercontinental qualifiers.

Panama and Haiti also qualified directly for the World Cup.