The Curaçao national football team represents the small Caribbean island of Curaçao in international men’s soccer under the Curaçao Football Federation. Curaçao is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and inherited the footballing legacy of the former Netherlands Antilles when that territory dissolved in 2010. Despite its tiny population (about 156,000), the team has made steady progress in regional competitions, even winning the Caribbean Cup in 2017.
Curaçao achieved a historic milestone when it qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history in 2025. In doing so, the team became the smallest nation ever by population to reach a World Cup final tournament, surpassing Iceland’s previous record.
They finished top of their CONCACAF qualifying group unbeaten, sealing qualification with a key draw against Jamaica — a result celebrated wildly by fans and players alike.
World Cup 2026 – Curaçao’s Group Stage
At the official 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C., Curaçao was placed in Group E of the tournament — its first-ever World Cup group assignment.
Group E (2026 FIFA World Cup)
Germany
Ecuador
Côte d’Ivoire
Curaçao
This assignment sets up a challenging but historic schedule for Curaçao. They will face a top-tier European side (Germany), a strong South American team (Ecuador), and a competitive African nation (Côte d’Ivoire) in the group stage, giving them a memorable debut on football’s biggest stage.
Group E
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 |  Curaçao | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |