Nov 18, 2025, 10:15 PM ET<\/p>\n
Curacao<\/a> have become the smallest ever country to qualify for a World Cup finals after hanging on for a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on the last day of Concacaf qualfiying.<\/p>\n Panama<\/a> and Haiti<\/a> also booked their spots in a tense final round of qualifying for the region that is also home to host nations and automatic qualifiers the United States, Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n The tiny island nation, located in the Caribbean, boasts a population of just 156,115 people and a land mass of just 444 square kilometers. Cura\u00e7ao finished as the only undefeated nation in the tournament and finished atop of Group B with 12 points.<\/p>\n They surpassed Iceland’s record when they qualified in 2018<\/a> with a population of just over 350,000.<\/p>\n Curacao, managed by former Premier League boss<\/a> Dick Advocaat, who missed the match against Jamaica<\/a> for personal reasons, went their entire qualification campaign unbeaten, recording a mammoth 7-0 win over Bermuda on their way to securing their place at the World Cup.<\/p>\n Advocaat was at the helm of the Netherlands national team for three stints and managed South Korea, Belgium and Russia before taking the job with Curacao.<\/p>\n – Smallest-ever nation led to World Cup spot by ex-Premier League manager<\/a> Curacao will find out their group stage opponents for a historic first World Cup appearance when the draw is made on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n Panama advanced to its second World Cup after defeating El Salvador 3-0 on first-half goals from Cesar Blackman<\/a> and Erick Davis. Jose Luis Rodriguez<\/a> added a goal for the Panamanians, who have Russia 2018 as their only World Cup appearance.<\/p>\n Panama finished as the best team in Group A with 12 points while Suriname, which came into the last round leading the way on goal difference, lost 3-1 against Guatemala and finished in second place with nine points.<\/p>\n Haiti had a surprising campaign winning Group C over favorites Honduras and Costa Rica after beating Nicaragua 2-1. The results from Group C mean both Honduras and Costa Rica won’t be involved in the next summer’s tournament.<\/p>\n
– 2026 World Cup: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n