Overview
- Federation president Gilbert Martina, in an interview Thursday, said Fred Rutten is head coach and confirmed Dick Advocaat will not serve as a World Cup consultant.
- Curaçao, a 444 km² island of about 160,000 people with roughly 4,000 registered players, qualified unbeaten and was drawn with Germany, Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador in Group E.
- Martina said the push began in 2010 after the Netherlands Antilles dissolved and credited the team’s spirit and mentality despite scarce facilities and funding.
- He set the goal of reaching the knockout stage and argued that three or four points in the group could be enough to reach the round of 16.
- Local leaders report a tourism lift of 13% in the first quarter of 2026 as the island gains visibility from the World Cup spotlight.