In a stunning underdog story that has captivated the football world, the Caribbean island of Curaçao has officially become the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
A Historic Qualification Campaign
The monumental achievement was sealed on the final day of Concacaf qualifying with a hard-fought goalless draw against Jamaica. This result capped an impressive campaign where Curaçao remained undefeated, topping Group B with 12 points to secure their historic passage to the global tournament. They now join Panama and Haiti as the qualifiers from their group.
Remarkably, the team navigated their crucial final match without head coach Dick Advocaat. The 78-year-old former Rangers and Sunderland boss was absent due to personal reasons, leaving his squad to complete the mission without their experienced leader on the touchline.
Shattering the Previous Record
Curaçao's qualification breaks the record previously held by Iceland, which had been the smallest nation to reach a World Cup after qualifying for the 2018 tournament in Russia. The scale of Curaçao's achievement is underscored by its diminutive statistics: the nation carries a land mass of just 171 square miles and boasts a population of less than 157,000.
Elsewhere in European Qualifying
While Curaçao made history in the Caribbean, the European qualification picture also saw significant developments. Spain secured automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup despite a 2-2 draw with Turkey that saw them concede their first goals of the campaign. Mikel Oyarzabal secured a point with his sixth goal of qualifying, extending Spain's run to 31 international games without defeat.
In other notable results, Belgium confirmed their place with a 7-0 thrashing of Liechtenstein, with Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku scoring twice. Scotland qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 after a dramatic 4-2 victory over ten-man Denmark, with goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean in added time sealing their passage.
Austria guaranteed top spot in Group H with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Switzerland's 1-1 draw in Kosovo was enough for them to qualify from Group B.
