Curacao are fast becoming known as the World Cup’s party animals after stripping off and dancing on their rickety team bus – while it was driving.
Players from the World Cup’s smallest ever nation turned up the stereo and blasted the beats while egging on their dancing team-mates.
One star removed his shirt and did a limbo; another came dangerously close to twerking.
All the while, beneath the palm thatched decorations and blue lighting, the players sang and videoed the action as the driver swerved through the streets.
Curacao have already gone viral for travelling around in their school bus without windows.
The fun bus has captured the spirit of a Caribbean island nation of just 158,000 people making their World Cup debut.
Curacao have been bringing the party vibes to their team bus during their travels
One player came dangerously close to twerking as he unleashed his moves on the bus
They won’t let the fact that they face Germany on Sunday get in the way of them letting their hair down.
Footage of the bus initially 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.
Known as the ‘Blue Wave’, Curacao stunned the football world last November when a tense 0-0 draw away to Jamaica secured their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The result made them 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.
‘It’s crazy,’ midfielder Juninho Bacuna said. ‘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.’
Curacao’s players went viral after arriving in a windowless bus ahead of their World Cup debut
The Caribbean nation has a population of just over 150,000 people, roughly the size of Darwin
Dutch coach Dick Advocaat has helped transform the side after taking charge in 2024
The island remains part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands despite being located near Venezuela
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. Only Tahith Chong was born on the island – the rest of the squad were born on the Dutch mainland.
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 is 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.
Superfan 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.’
Curacao have been drawn in Group E alongside Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast, one of the toughest draws in the tournament. That’s unlikely to deter them.
