Curacao become smallest nation to qualify for World Cup

The tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao has become the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup after securing a decisive draw against Steve McClaren’s Jamaica. The previous record holder, Iceland, is significantly larger than Curaçao, which has just over 150,000 residents and a land area smaller than the Isle of Man. Coach Dick […]

The tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao has become the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup after securing a decisive draw against Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.

The previous record holder, Iceland, is significantly larger than Curaçao, which has just over 150,000 residents and a land area smaller than the Isle of Man.

Coach Dick Advocaat, absent from the match for personal reasons, will become the oldest manager in World Cup history at 78.

Curaçao, located 37 miles off Venezuela and a constituent country of the Netherlands since 2010, has risen remarkably in football—from 150th to 82nd in FIFA rankings within a decade.