Smaller than Isle of Man & huge Dutch influence: Curacao making history

A stunningly beautiful small Caribbean island, with a huge Dutch influence but fiercely proud of their own heritage - Curacao has, until now, possibly been most famous for its alcoholic drink of the same name.

But that is all about to change as they prepare to make history as the smallest nation ever, by size and population, to take part in a World Cup.

Smaller than the Isle of Man and with a population of 158,000 - less than 40 UK cities and towns - they are not even a fully sovereign nation, being part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

"It brings so much joy and pride to the island that you can't describe it. The whole island is turning blue," Curacao Football Federation (FFK) president Gilbert Martina told BBC Sport.

Only one of their World Cup squad, Tahith Chong, was born on the island - with the other 25 players all hailing from the mainland Netherlands.

They have been placed in a difficult Group E with Germany, who they face on Sunday (18:00 BST), Ecuador and Ivory Coast.

Thousands of Blue Wave fans are expected for their World Cup debut in Houston - with some same-day charter flights from the island.

"People look at us always having fun and dancing. We are all together. But as soon as the referee blows the whistle we have one thing on our mind - getting a result," captain Leandro Bacuna said in the pre-match news conference.

And in another bit of history, on-again, off-again manager Dick Advocaat will become the oldest boss in World Cup history at the age of 78.

Some 18 players in the squad have represented the Netherlands at youth levels, with two - Riechedly Bazoer and Joshua Brenet - winning senior caps.

The shift from the Curacao national team, from local amateur players to members of the diaspora, started when they started to hire big-name Dutch managers - starting with Patrick Kluivert in 2015.

Miami FC goalkeeper Eloy Room, 37, was the first member of this squad to play for Curacao that year, with ex-Aston Villa and Cardiff midfielder Leandro Bacuna among those to follow in 2016.

Bacuna said: "We've done something so nice for Curacao. I started this journey 10 years ago and wanted to make the people from Curacao proud.

"The manager keeps saying we are not finished. We want to show people as small as we are, we have a big heart. If you have a big heart I believe you can get far."

His brother Juninho, who has played for Huddersfield, Rangers and Birmingham, followed in 2019.

The 28-year-old told the BBC: "It's one thing that we always wished for - when we were kids we dreamed of playing together in one team on one pitch.

"That's why I decided early on to play for Curacao so I could be with him in one team, make my parents proud, make the island proud."

The biggest influx of Dutch-born talent has taken place quite recently, with 15 of this squad making their debut since 2023.

That includes Chong, who represented the Netherlands up to under-21 level before switching to Curacao last year.

"We've got a lot of players that have been playing in Holland that never thought about playing for Curacao," continued Juninho Bacuna.

"But you can see the heart, the belief and the connection they have with Curacao.

"They feel the love from the people, they feel everything from the island, so the connection got stronger and stronger for them."

In other countries, it may be more of an issue not calling up many local players.

But the importance placed in Curacao's diaspora in the Netherlands - which is roughly the same population as the island - makes this different.

"I don't think it's an issue whatsoever," said Curacao native Boudino de Jong, the co-founder of Profound, who are the FFK's digital partners.

"We're very used to our diaspora also being outside the island. So that's not necessarily a factor in how we would identify ourselves. Even if a player is not born here, they feel an extreme connection and identify as Curacaoan."

Curacao are thought to be one of only six countries who are not fully independent nations to qualify for a World Cup.

That is because they remain part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with neighbours Aruba and Sint Maarten.

The others are England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - as they are part of the United Kingdom - and 1938 qualifiers Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).

Natives of Curacao all hold Dutch passports - and until 2010 it was part of the Netherlands Antilles, a collection of Caribbean islands.

Curacao has only had its own national team since then - although the team are viewed as a continuation of the Dutch Antilles.

"Before we could even represent Curacao on such a big stage, for decades a large part have been diehard fans of the Dutch team," said De Jong. "But obviously we're putting Curacao first now."

What would meeting the Netherlands in the knockout stages mean?

Juninho Bacuna, who ended last season on loan at Volendam, said: "If that happens, I'm giving, not 100, not 200, I will give 1000% more than I will give ever.

"We just want to show the world that we are a small island but we have got a big heart, belief and a lot of talent."

Curacao FA president Martina puts their success down to "two points" - the arrival of the legendary Advocaat in 2024 and being able to fund the team properly.

"A high-quality coach, like Dick Advocaat, it creates a ripple effect, it creates a belief," he says.

"He prepared the mindset and the mentality that the team has to learn to play for results instead of playing for fun."

While Concacaf had more qualifiers than ever for this expanded 48-team World Cup - with Mexico, the USA and Canada qualifying automatically as co-hosts - Curacao went unbeaten in qualifying, with seven wins and three draws.

But Advocaat missed the game which sealed their qualification - a goalless draw against Jamaica - for family reasons.

Assistant boss Dean Gorre, who played for Huddersfield, Barnsley and Blackpool, took charge for that one.

He told BBC World Service: "The pressure is high because all of a sudden you're in charge of something that everybody's looking at from the whole island. If we would have lost, it would have been on me, and that's the biggest pressure."

Former Swansea winger Kenji Gorre is Dean's son, and a player in the team.

The 31-year-old, who grew up in England, said: "To see him lead the biggest game of Curacao's history, to live that with him and to actually be on the field while he is the coach is a unique situation."

Juninho Bacuna added: "I give my credit to Dick Advocaat for everything he has done for us, because he had a lot of impact on the pitch and off the pitch. But eventually it's the players that have done the job for years to get where we are now."

Advocaat stepped down in February to look after his ill daughter.

Experienced Dutchman Fred Rutten replaced him - but lost both games in March and there was reportedly pressure from players and sponsors to bring Advocaat back.

Rutten acknowledged those issues when he stepped down last month, with the return of Advocaat - whose family situation is thought to have improved.

They lost 4-1 to Scotland at Hampden Park but then beat neighbours Aruba 4-0 in their World Cup warm-ups.

"From the start, from this campaign, he's been the leader," said his assistant Gorre.

"The players are used to his voice, to his style, and grew together with him in a special way."

De Jong called their qualification "one of the biggest deals ever for the island" - adding they expect it to bring more tourism and investment.

"I've seen the impact of the final match where we qualified for the World Cup," he said.

"The traffic just stopped. All cars basically parked on the street and everybody got out of their car. And I've never seen such a massive united celebration on a national scale.

"And I think that was just the start of what we're going to see in the coming matches. I know of a lot of people are coming to the island because they want to experience the games together with all the Curacaoans here on the island."

FFK supremo Martina said: "You see the blue wave decoration on buildings. You see cars with flags, you see cars wrapped in blue. So it's a huge impulse for pride and nation building."

He added their aim is to try to get into the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.

Juninho Bacuna has spoken about the pride playing at the World Cup will bring his family and the nation.

"The day I decided to go play for Curacao, they were proud because my mum and dad are both from Curacao," he said.

"When we qualified for the World Cup, they were speechless. They could see both sons playing on the biggest stage of football for the island where they were born."

Forward Gorre added: "This is a story of the impossible being possible. This is a story of hope. This is a story that I can get to tell my kids and the grandkids.

"This will be a story that will go on for generations in the Gorre family, as well as the world of Curacao."