Curacao National Soccer Team Profile

Charlie Zschau Updated: Apr 28 2026 19:07

View the latest Curacao National Soccer Team stats, key players, odds, history and more.

Nicknamed 'The Blue Stars' Curacao have made soccer history by becoming the smallest nation by population to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.

Curacao played Jamaica to a 0-0 draw on November 18th, 2025 to book their place in the 2026 World Cup in North America. The small Caribbean island nation was the only Concacaf team to go undefeated through all six qualifying matches, and topped Group B with 12 points.

With a population of 156,000 people, Curacao's population is less than half the size of the previously smallest nation to qualify, Iceland, who had a population of 350,000 people in 2018. Curacao's current population is roughly the same as Charleston, South Carolina.

The team is led by the Bacuna brothers, Leandro and Juninho. Former Manchester United youngster Tahith Chong is also one of the most important players for the Caribbean Island who helped clinch World Cup Qualification.

Curacao National Team Leadership & Coach

Head Coach	Fred Rutten
President	Gilbert Martina

Head coach Dick Advocaat led Curacao through World Cup qualifying, but at 78-years-old, resigned for personal reasons. He was surpassed by the current head coach, Fred Rutten.

Curacao's Top Active Players

Player	Position	Club
Tahith Chong	Attacking Midfield	Sheffield United (England)
Armando Obispo	Center Back	PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Sontje Hansen	Right Winger	Middlesbrough (England)
Riechedly Bazoer	Center Back	Konyaspor (Turkiye)
Juninho Bacuna	Central Midfielder	FC Volendam (Netherlands)
Leandro Bacuna	Central Midfielder	Igdir FK (Turkiye)
Jearl Margaritha	Left Winger	SK Beveren (Belgium)

Curacao's All-Time Leaders

CAPS	Leandro Bacuna (68)
Goals	Rangelo Janga (21)
Assists	Juninho Bacuna (10)

All of Curacao's all-time leaders are still actively playing, with the country having a short history compared to most other nations participating in the FIFA World Cup.

Curacao National Team History

The Curacao National Soccer Team was formed in 2011 following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, and played their first match on August 18, 2011, against the Dominican Republic. Curacao's team is a legal successor to the Netherlands Antilles.

Curacao won it's first trophy in 2017, lifting the Caribbean Championship, and qualified for it's first ever World Cup in 2026.

World Cup Appearances	1 (2026)
Current FIFA Rank	82 (As of April 2026)
Highest FIFA Rank	68 (2017)
Lowest FIFA Rank	183 (2014)
Largest Victory	14-0 vs. Puerto Rico (1946)
Largest Defeat	1-8 vs. Netherlands (1958)