"Few stories capture the magic of next year's FIFA World Cup quite like Curacaoa small Caribbean nation that has defied history, geography, and every expectation to reach the biggest stage in global soccer. With 42 of the 48 spots to compete in the 2026 World Cup now filled, the tournament is already shaping up to be a historic one, with several other underdog nations defying the odds to play at the event jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada next summer."
"But after drawing 00 with Jamaica on Tuesday, the former Dutch colony set a historic record by becoming the least populous country ever to reach the FIFA World Cup. Home to roughly 150,000 people and located in the southern Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela it has surpassed Iceland as the smallest country to compete in the world's most prestigious soccer tournament."
Forty-two of the 48 spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are filled, and several underdog nations have qualified for the tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Curacao became the least populous country to qualify, with roughly 150,000 residents, surpassing Iceland. Curacao drew 0-0 with Jamaica to secure qualification and has relied heavily on players born in the Netherlands to build its squad. The country became an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 after the Netherlands Antilles dissolved. Several major teams, including Nigeria, China, India, Greece, Serbia, and Hungary, failed to qualify.
Read at www.npr.org
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