It is a feel-good moment for the Caribbean – the Southern in particular, as Curaçao is the smallest country ever to compete at a FIFA World Cup.
The team reportedly went viral after being filmed crammed into an old-school bus with no windows as they continued preparations for their historic World Cup debut.
The footage sparked a flood of reactions online, with many fans comparing the Caribbean underdogs to the legendary Jamaican bobsled team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.
In Curaçao, which has a population of an estimated 150,000, it is all good vibes. According to the Daily Mail, the team’s mode of transportation captured the spirit of the team, having achieved what would have seemed impossible.
Known as the ‘Blue Wave’, Curaçao stunned the football world last November when a tense 0-0 draw with Jamaica secured their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The result made the Caribbean island the smallest country by both size and population ever to reach football’s biggest tournament.
Back home, celebrations erupted across the island, and, according to players, the excitement has barely subsided.
Midfielder Juninho Bacuna, commenting on the achievement, was quoted as saying, “It’s crazy. Since we qualified for the World Cup, you see some people thinking, like, ‘Who is Curaçao?”, and then they’re going to look it up and see, like, “Oh, okay. Curaçao is quite nice.”
Fellow midfielder Tahith Chong, the only member of the squad actually born on the island, said the achievement had transformed the nation.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I think for all of us, everyone’s been proud,” the Sheffield United star said. “The World Cup, I don’t think the island has stopped talking about the World Cup.”
The story behind Curaçao’s rise is unique. Although the island sits off the coast of Venezuela, it remains part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and every player in the squad is a Dutch national.
Many were born and raised in the Netherlands after their families left the island in search of greater opportunities.
Captain Leandro Bacuna, who was born in the Dutch city of Groningen, says there has never been any confusion about where he belongs.
”I grew up in the Netherlands. I was born in the Netherlands,” he said. “And my father, the first thing he said to me, was that ‘you’re not from the Netherlands. You are pure Curaçao.”
The island itself faces significant challenges, with around 30 per cent of residents living below the poverty line.
For many young people, football offers a pathway to opportunities that might otherwise seem out of reach.
That reality has made the national team’s World Cup qualification resonate far beyond sport.
Super fan Brenton ‘Blueface’ Balentian was among those overcome with emotion when Curaçao secured its place in the tournament.
‘It brought everybody together,’ he said. ‘They were supporting Curaçao, and that was for me the biggest and prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.’
Now the tiny island that many football fans had never heard of is preparing to take on giants.
Curaçao has been drawn in Group E alongside Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast.