As the smallest country to date, Curaçao got its ticket for the 2026 World Cup. In an interview with blue Sport, FCZ player Livano Comenencia describes how emotional qualifying with his national team was.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Curaçao has sensationally qualified for the 2026 World Cup as the smallest country to date.
- FCZ professional Livano Comenencia describes the historic qualification as an emotional experience for him and the whole island.
- Coach Dick Advocaat specifically formed the team with players of Caribbean roots and is now celebrated as a national hero on Curaçao.
The history of the World Cup is enriched by another crazy story. Last week, the Caribbean dwarf state of Curaçao sensationally qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. A 0-0 draw against Jamaica at the end of qualifying was enough for Curaçao to pull off the incredible coup.
After the final whistle, players and coaches ran around the pitch in exuberance. At home, too, the jubilation over the football fairytale knew no bounds. It felt like almost everyone on the island was on their feet celebrating the nation's new heroes.
According to the national statistics authority in January, 156,115 inhabitants live on this small piece of land. By comparison, the German record champions Bayern Munich currently have 432,500 members - almost three times as many as Curaçao's population. Curaçao has only been independent since 2010 and was previously part of the Netherlands Antilles.
Comenencia: "We have made history"
Livano Comenencia is right in the middle of the fairytale of the small island state, not just part of it. The FC Zurich midfielder is a regular in the Curaçao national team and played in all of the qualifying matches.
In an interview with blue Sport, the 21-year-old talks about the great emotions he was able to experience with his nation. "I'm so proud of the team and the whole island. We simply made history, no words are needed," says Comenencia. "I saw my mother crying because she is so proud of me. That's the best feeling there is. I will always remember that."
Advocaat becomes a national hero
The celebrated man on Curaçao is Dick Advocaat. The veteran coach is set to become a national hero on the small Caribbean island after successfully qualifying for the World Cup.
The 78-year-old, who has coached Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Belgian and Dutch national teams and Sunderland during his career, has taken advantage of the Dutch colonial history and scouted for players with Caribbean roots in his home country.
One of them is Livano Comenencia, who trained at PSV Eindhoven and has been playing for FCZ since this summer. "We're going to the World Cup and will soon be in the Panini album. It's incredible," said Comenencia after the successful qualifiers.
Until now, Curaçao was primarily known for its breathtaking beaches, great diving spots and world-famous liqueur. Now it will be one of the 48 best football teams in the world next summer, replacing Iceland as the smallest World Cup participant to date.
