The Caribbean state of Curaçao sensationally qualifies for the World Cup, setting a record in the process: Never before has a country with fewer inhabitants punched its ticket to the World Cup.
19.11.2025, 08:12
SDA
A 0-0 draw in Jamaica was enough for the small island nation off the coast of Venezuela to defend their unbeaten top spot in Group B of CONCACAF qualifying and secure their place at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. FCZ player Livano Comenencia was in the starting eleven and played over 90 minutes.
This is Curaçao's first participation in a World Cup. According to the national statistics authority, the country had 156,115 inhabitants in January - not even half as many as Iceland, which was the smallest FIFA country to qualify for a World Cup in 2018.
Haiti qualifies for the first time since 1974
In addition to Curaçao, two other CONCACAF teams also punched their ticket to the World Cup. Panama secured their second World Cup appearance since 2018 with a 3-0 win over El Salvador. Haiti won Group C with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua and beat the favored teams from Honduras and Costa Rica. The only previous World Cup appearance in Haiti's history was the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
