FIFA World Cup 2026 Team Profile: Curaçao
Curaçao is in Group E with Germany, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ecuador.
MIAMI – The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins on June 11, with Curaçao set to make its debut on football’s biggest stage.
Ahead of the tournament, we take a closer look at Curaçao’s history, key players, and storylines.
World Cup History and Records
FIFA World Cup Appearances: 1 (2026)
WC Record: P0 W0 D0 L0 GF0 GA0
Best WC Performance: -
Most WC Apps: -
Most WC Goals: -
Most WC Assists: -
How They Qualified
Curaçao secured direct qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after finishing first in Group B during the Third Round of Concacaf Qualifiers.
Group and Schedule
Curaçao is in Group E with Germany, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ecuador.
Their group stage schedule is as follows:
Germany (Houston Stadium) — June 14, 1 p.m. ET
Ecuador (Kansas City Stadium) — June 20, 8:00 p.m. ET
Côte d'Ivoire (Philadelphia Stadium) — June 25, 4 p.m. ET
Recent Results and Friendlies
Curaçao concluded its World Cup preparations with a 4-1 loss to Scotland in Glasgow, followed by a 4-0 victory over Aruba in its send-off match in Willemstad.
Head Coach Profile
Dick Advocaat will lead Curaçao in the nation’s FIFA World Cup debut. The 78-year-old Dutch manager guided The Blue Wave through their historic qualification campaign and will become the oldest head coach in tournament history.
He also returns to the World Cup stage after previously managing the Netherlands at USA 1994 and South Korea at Germany 2006.
Key Players
Eloy Room - The 37-year-old goalkeeper has had some pivotal nights in front of the net and seeks to add more shot-stopping moments on the world’s biggest stage.
Leandro Bacuna - Curaçao’s No. 10 and most capped field player, Bacuna remains a central figure in midfield and a steady presence in decisive moments.
Tahith Chong - The lone member of the current squad born in Curaçao, Chong had a promising upbringing by playing for the Netherlands youth teams and making his professional debut at Manchester United. The 26-year-old recently scored a standout goal in the tune-up against Scotland.
Game Changer
Juninho Bacuna - The younger Bacuna brother enters the tournament as one of Curaçao’s most influential attackers, recording nine goals and seven assists in 32 appearances. In Concacaf qualifying, he led all players in chance creation from open play (20 chances created).
Rising Star
Livano Comenencia - A versatile defender who featured prominently in World Cup qualifying, contributing one goal and one assist during Curaçao’s campaign. He also played all three group-stage matches at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Statistical Snapshot
Curaçao reached the FIFA World Cup finals for the very first time – they are the smallest nation by both area and population to ever reach the finals of the tournament.
Curaçao are the first Concacaf debutants at the FIFA World Cup since Panama in 2018, while looking to become the first side from the confederation to progress from the group stage in their debut since Costa Rica at Italy 1990.
As well as scoring the most goals in Concacaf FIFA World Cup qualifying (28), Curaçao also led the way for expected goals (22.7), while their four goals from high turnovers were only bettered by Costa Rica (6).
In Dick Advocaat for Curaçao, and Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands, there will be two Dutch head coaches at a single edition of a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2010, when Pim Verbeek was in charge of Australia, and Bert van Marwijk guided the Netherlands to the final, eventually losing 1-0 to Spain.
Aged 78 years and 260 days during Curaçao’s opening match against Germany, Advocaat will become the oldest head coach in World Cup history.
Historic Storyline Entering the Tournament
Curaçao will play in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history, completing a remarkable rise for one of Concacaf’s emerging football nations. The nation’s historic qualification is the culmination of years of investment and development, aided by a growing pool of talent competing in the Netherlands and across Europe.
For a country of fewer than 160,000 people, reaching the FIFA World Cup represents a landmark achievement and a defining moment in its sporting history. As tournament debutants, Curaçao will look to embrace the underdog role while seeking to prove that its rise is no coincidence.
