Curaçao, a Caribbean island of just 156,000 souls, has become the smallest country in history to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
A gutsy 0-0 draw away to Jamaica on Tuesday sealed top spot in CONCACAF Group B and direct passage to the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
The result sparked delirium in Willemstad and stunned the football world.
Led by veterans such as captain Juninho Bacuna, PSV’s Armando Obispo and goalkeeper Eloy Room, the “Blue Wave” remained unbeaten throughout the campaign, culminating in last week’s 7-0 thrashing of Bermuda.
For a territory that has never before reached the finals, this is pure fairy tale.
But Curaçao is not alone in turning decades of heartbreak into celebration.
The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be the tournament that finally welcomed back some of football’s longest-suffering nations:
– Norway – 28 years
Erling Haaland’s brace in a 4-1 playoff demolition of Italy ended the Scandinavian drought that stretched back to France 1998. The Viking thunder has returned.
– Haiti – 52 years
A 2-0 victory over Nicaragua (played in Curaçao due to security issues at home) secured Les Grenadiers’ first World Cup since West Germany 1974 – their only previous appearance.
– Panama – returning after 8 years
Already a cult hero from 2018, Los Canaleros confirmed another direct berth with a 3-0 win over El Salvador.
– Jamaica – still chasing a second appearance (last and only in 1998)
28 years ago – now head to inter-confederation playoffs.
– Suriname – another debutant nation, also through to the March playoffs.
Across the continents, other historic comebacks have lit up the cycle:
– Albania – first-ever qualification (via UEFA playoffs)
– Georgia – first-ever qualification
– Bolivia – back after 32 years (1994)
– Venezuela – still waiting, but closer than ever before
For nations like Scotland (absent since 1998), Greece (since 2014), Colombia (since 2018), Egypt (since 2018) and countless others still on the outside looking in, the achievements of Curaçao, Norway, Haiti and the rest carry a simple, powerful message: no wait is forever.
In 2026, the World Cup will feature more debutants and more long-lost returnees than any edition in history.
And leading the parade of dreamers-turned-believers is a tiny island that refused to accept its size on the map should dictate its place in football’s greatest story.
