The smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup has arrived with all the glamour of a school excursion.
As football’s biggest stars prepare to travel across North America in luxury coaches and private jets, Curacao’s players have gone 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.
But for Curacao, whose population of just over 150,000 is roughly the same as Darwin, the humble bus ride perfectly captured the spirit of a team that has already achieved the impossible.
Known as the ‘Blue Wave’, Curacao stunned the football world last November when a tense 0-0 draw away to Jamaica secured 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.
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
Curacao became the smallest nation ever to qualify for a FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 0-0 draw against Jamaica last November
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,’ Chong said.
‘The World Cup, I don’t think the island has stopped talking about the World Cup.’
The story behind Curacao’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.
Champion Dutch coach Dick Advocaat helped transform the side after taking charge in 2024
The island remains part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands despite being located near Venezuela
Fans compared the team’s humble transport to the famous Cool Runnings story that was immortalised by Hollywood
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 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 Curacao 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.
Curacao have been drawn in Group E alongside Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
