Muscat: The team advanced to the 2026 finals undefeated, breaking Iceland’s previous record and rewriting global football history.

Curaçao secured its place in the 2026 FIFA North Central American World Cup after a hard-fought 0–0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston’s Independence Park on the 19th (Korean time). The result cemented Curaçao at the top of Group B with 12 points from three wins and three draws, earning them a direct ticket to the main tournament, and doing so without a single defeat.

The achievement is extraordinary not only on the pitch but statistically: while football giants with populations exceeding one billion, such as China, continue to struggle to reach the sport’s biggest stage, tiny Curaçao, ranked 82nd by FIFA, has accomplished what once seemed impossible. Their World Cup qualification shatters Iceland’s previous record as the smallest nation to reach a finals, with Curaçao’s population less than half of Iceland’s 350,000 when it qualified for Russia 2018.

Much of Curaçao’s transformation has been credited to head coach Dick Advocaat. The veteran Dutch manager, well-known to South Korean fans for leading Korea at the 2006 Germany World Cup, took charge of Curaçao in January last year. In just about a year, he built a cohesive, disciplined squad capable of dominating their qualifying group and carving a path to the nation’s first-ever World Cup appearance. He did not oversee the Jamaica match due to personal reasons, remaining in the Netherlands, but his imprint on the team remains unmistakable.

There may even be a dramatic reunion ahead: Hong Myung-bo, now head coach of South Korea and formerly Advocaat’s assistant in 2006, could face his former mentor depending on the June 6 group-stage draw.

Curaçao’s historic journey also reshapes the regional landscape. With the United States, Mexico and Canada already qualified as co-hosts, CONCACAF has now confirmed its fourth, fifth and sixth representatives. Jamaica and Suriname will look toward the intercontinental playoff for one last chance to join them.

Elsewhere in the region, Panama topped Group A after a decisive 3–0 win over El Salvador, booking its second World Cup appearance since 2018. In Group C, Haiti clinched its first World Cup berth in 52 years after defeating Nicaragua 2–0 to finish with 11 points.

Under the format of the CONCACAF third-round qualifiers, all group winners advance directly to the World Cup, while the two best runners-up move on to the intercontinental playoff. Jamaica, finishing second in Group B with 11 points, will now fight through that final stage.