CuraçaoGroup E · CONCACAF · FIFA #82 · Elo 1433
📅 Group E: vs Côte d'Ivoire · Ecuador · Germany
Curaçao arrive as the smallest nation — by population (~156,000) — ever to qualify for the men's World Cup, nearly half the size of previous record-holder Iceland (2018). Unbeaten throughout CONCACAF qualifying (7W 3D, 10 matches), they face a mountain in Group E alongside Germany, Ecuador, and Ivory Coast, but their Dutch-Caribbean pipeline has produced genuine European quality.
Curaçao's population of roughly 156,000 makes them the smallest nation in World Cup history — Iceland (2018) had about 350,000 people.
Every single player in the 26-man squad is a World Cup debutant — Curaçao have never appeared in the finals before.
The island is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; roughly 152,000 Curaçao-born or -descended people live in the Netherlands, providing a ready diaspora talent pool for European club academies.
Dick Advocaat (born September 27, 1947) is 78 years old on the day of their first match, shattering the World Cup managerial age record by seven years.
Curaçao qualified from CONCACAF undefeated, finishing first in their group with 12 points — the only unbeaten side in the entire CONCACAF qualifying tournament.
Before Dick Advocaat, tiny Curaçao had already been coached by Dutch royalty: Patrick Kluivert took charge in 2015 and Guus Hiddink in 2020 — a who's-who of Dutch football legends for an island of around 150,000 people.
Curaçao's first major trophy came in 2017 when they beat Jamaica to win the Caribbean Cup — and since that was the tournament's final edition, they will remain its reigning champions forever.
The big number is the player's EA FC 26 (FIFA 26) overall rating; for players not in the game it's estimated from market value & role.
Tip: click any player for full details, or “✨ Get to know Curaçao” up top for trivia & the anthem. OVR = EA FC 26 (FIFA 26) rating; for players not in the game it's estimated from market value.
Germany
Ecuador
Côte d'Ivoire