Curaçao are poised to set the FIFA World Cup 2026™ alight as the smallest nation to have ever qualified for the global showpiece. With a population size of roughly 156,000 people, Dick Advocaat’s men will take on Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador and Germany — who have a combined 135 million-plus inhabitants — in the group stage.
So impressive is the tiny Caribbean island nation’s achievement that a match-won jersey from their crucial Concacaf qualifier against Jamaica in October has already been donated to the FIFA Museum in Zurich. Blue Wave defender Livano Comenencia, who plays for local team FC Zurich and scored the opener against the Reggae Boyz, paid a visit earlier this week to present his unique piece of sporting history that will be preserved for future generations.
“At the FIFA Museum, we don’t just celebrate and safeguard the past; we document history as it is being written. Livano’s shirt represents a fresh and incredible chapter in the global game,” FIFA Museum Director Marco Fazzone noted. “Receiving this object directly from him, shortly after the achievement, is a special moment for us and allows us to preserve Curaçao’s breakthrough as a part of football history.”
The right-back took time to discuss Curaçao’s World Cup qualification and the challenge ahead, which includes a much-anticipated fixture against four-time champions Germany in Houston. “Facing a team like Germany at a World Cup is something you dream about as a kid. We know their quality, but we believe in ourselves too. We’ll give everything we have and represent Curaçao with pride,” Comenencia said.
The odds may be stacked against Curaçao to reach the knockout stages but Comenencia, a former Netherlands youth-team international, is daring to dream of glory, especially with eight of the 12 third-place teams advancing to the round of 32.
“When we qualified for the World Cup, it was an amazing feeling. We just made history and that is forever in the books. I am very happy and proud of the country,” he added.
“When I was watching (the draw) I was a little bit nervous but I was happy too because we are the smallest country and we just made it to the World Cup so for me I was like, I don’t care which country comes. We are ready and will play the best as we can. I just want to play and show myself and show the world who Curaçao is.”
Comenencia is acutely aware of the history that Curaçao have already made in the global game. “I think the achievement makes it very special because we are the smallest country,” he added. “We came really far… we trained and played on pitches that are not really good and we fought with blood, sweat and tears. I think we really deserve to play at the World Cup.”
Photo credits: FIFA Museum
