{"id":4433,"date":"2026-06-08T18:27:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4433"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:27:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:27:39","slug":"how-the-smallest-world-cup-nation-recruited-its-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4433","title":{"rendered":"How The Smallest World Cup Nation Recruited Its Team"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Growing up in the Netherlands, Jurgen Locadia envisioned himself wearing those iconically vibrant orange jerseys at a World Cup. He played for the country&#8217;s youth national squads, was selected for the senior team a few times and started his professional career with Dutch clubs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>So when peers tried to enlist him to play for Cura\u00e7ao, a tiny island nation off the coast of Venezuela, he initially brushed them off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;I always had the hope to play for the Dutch squad,&#8221; Locadia, a forward for USL Championship side Miami FC, told me recently.<\/p>\n<p><span>Need an underdog team to root for at the World Cup? Cura\u00e7ao may be your squad. (Photo by Alan Harvey\/SNS Group via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But his friend and current Miami FC teammate, Eloy Room \u2014 who was also from the Netherlands and had already joined the Cura\u00e7ao national team \u2014 was persistent. He was trying to help build something in Cura\u00e7ao. Locadia remembers having conversations with Room four years ago while he was still attached to the Oranje. Room was trying to sell Locadia on the idea of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;I was like, \u2018C&#8217;mon man, it\u2019s not realistic,\u2019&#8221; Locadia said he told Room. &#8220;But he was convinced. And that energy rubs off when you believe in something. And he believed in it. I was skeptical, but looking back, it\u2019s ironic how life works out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Call it the college transfer portal meets the World Cup. Countries use recruiting-style pitches on dual-national players to bolster their chances of qualifying for the world&#8217;s biggest tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The approach has also paid off for more established countries, such as Morocco, which reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and became the first African nation to do so. Senegal, Ivory Coast and Egypt are other countries that followed similar paths by recruiting players who previously represented other nations at youth levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Some teams got creative with their methods. Cape Verde, also making its inaugural World Cup appearance this summer, initially wooed Irish-born defender Roberto &#8220;Pico&#8221; Lopes via a LinkedIn message.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Smaller than those aforementioned countries, Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s interpersonal approach toward its program-building blueprint has now paid dividends. The strategy worked, and Cura\u00e7ao will make its World Cup debut this summer as the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;I don\u2019t think we realize the impact right now,&#8221; said Locadia, who ultimately committed to the Blue Wave in 2023. &#8220;Personally, I still can\u2019t comprehend that we qualified. I think once we\u2019re all together at our [base camp in Boca Raton, Florida], then the World Cup really starts, but for now, it\u2019s still hard to understand that we accomplished such a big thing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Caribbean island of Cura\u00e7ao was formerly a regional hub of the Dutch Atlantic slave trade, and many Cura\u00e7aoans grew up in or at some point moved to the Netherlands due to colonial and political ties. In 2010, Cura\u00e7ao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The population of Cura\u00e7ao is around 158,000 and has a total land mass of 171 square miles \u2014 that\u2019s seven times smaller than Rhode Island. Soccer and baseball are among the nation\u2019s most popular sports, though locals have cheered for Brazil or Argentina during past World Cups since their country had never qualified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>That was, however, until last November when Cura\u00e7ao shocked the world, securing a berth to the 2026 tournament after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston. The previous record for the smallest World Cup country was Iceland, which had a population of 350,000 when it reached the 2018 tournament in Russia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>So, how did this unlikely contender reach soccer&#8217;s biggest stage?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;It was my project,&#8221; former Cura\u00e7ao national team manager Remko Bicentini told me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Bicentini coached the Netherlands Antilles from 2009-10 after serving as an assistant in 2008, then worked as Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s assistant from 2011-16 before being named head coach from 2016-20 and again from 2022-23. He was one of the early architects who developed a plan to attract professional players with Cura\u00e7aoan roots to represent their homeland. He gave most of the players on Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s 2026 World Cup roster their first international appearance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Bicentini \u2014 whose father, Moises, was among the earliest Cura\u00e7aoans to play professional soccer in the Netherlands in the late 1950s \u2014 used several methods to identify players for the national team. He said he communicated with coaches around the world from 2015-23 and contacted various consulates, which helped him locate players with Cura\u00e7aoan heritage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;I looked all over the world for players who can play for Cura\u00e7ao, if they have a parent or grandparent who was born in Cura\u00e7ao,&#8221; Bicentini told me. &#8220;I looked for many, many, many years, and I found a lot of players.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>Eloy Room, Cura\u00e7ao&#8217;s longtime goalkeeper. (Photo by Sebastian Frej\/Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The first major commitment was Room, who was playing for Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem in 2015 before later joining PSV Eindhoven. Born to a Cura\u00e7aoan father and Dutch mother, Room was part of the Netherlands U-20 squad but wasn\u2019t earning regular first team call-ups. Patrick Kluivert, the legendary Ajax and Dutch national team striker, was the head coach of Cura\u00e7ao at that time and called Room personally to invite him to join the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Like Locadia, Room always wanted to play for the Netherlands, but knew he could also play for Cura\u00e7ao. In those days, however, Cura\u00e7ao wasn\u2019t competing at a high level, and there wasn\u2019t much of a foundation or structure in place. Switching national teams wasn\u2019t in his plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"Kluivert called and said, \u2018Listen, I want you as my goalkeeper. You\u2019re my No. 1,\u2019\" Room recalls. \"He also told me we have potential to go to the World Cup in the future if you help recruit players and players like me choose to play for Cura\u00e7ao.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Room needed time to think. Maybe, he told himself, there was another way to get to the World Cup, and he could help pave the way for posterity.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Plus, he said it was \"pretty cool\" to hear from a legend like Kluivert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Room ultimately took the leap, and the 37-year-old has been Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s starting goalkeeper ever since. He\u2019s made 71 appearances, tying him with midfielder Leandro Bacuna for most caps in national team history.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But it took a real grassroots effort to scout other players. Room reached out to guys he knew growing up in the Netherlands, and some called him asking what it was like to play for Cura\u00e7ao. Room told them about his experience and every camp, new players arrived on the island. Within a few years, the Blue Wave had a full squad made of professional players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"I was basically the first player who switched nationalities back then,\" Room said. \"And after that, more players kept coming.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Results followed. In 2017, Cura\u00e7ao won its first-ever Caribbean Cup, defeating Jamaica 2-1 in the final. The victory secured a place in the following month\u2019s Concacaf Gold Cup, though Cura\u00e7ao did not advance out of the group stage. The team later qualified for the 2019 Gold Cup and reached the quarterfinals, where it lost, 1-0, to the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"It was important for players to see that success,\" Bicentini said. \"It helped recruit new players.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Tahith Chong's first World Cup memory was watching the 2006 final between France and Italy at his parents\u2019 home in Willemstad. He remembers Zidane\u2019s headbutt, cheering for France and crying when Les Bleus lost. He started playing soccer after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Now a midfielder at English club Sheffield United, Chong\u2019s family moved to the Netherlands when he was eight years old. He came through the Manchester United academy team while playing for Dutch youth squads and kept a watchful eye on what was going on back home in Cura\u00e7ao. He felt in the early days that the program was too disorganized and unstable. He saw managers and federation presidents come and go, and travel from Europe at the time wasn\u2019t easy for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"But once they got it sorted, I was on board because I\u2019m from there, I was born there, my family is there. That\u2019s where I call home,\" said Chong, who is the only player on the 26-man squad born on the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Over time, players, staff and fans alike started to believe. Bicentini created a \"family atmosphere\" by inviting many of the players back to each camp so they could develop camaraderie and chemistry. He stuck with consistent tactics and defined a system, so everyone was aligned. He called in so many guys who grew up playing together in the Netherlands, providing an added sense of familiarity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Together the group set goals, like going to the Gold Cup, and initially didn\u2019t even talk about the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"Absolutely not,\" Bicentini said. \"But I believed that we could do that with each other. In 2016, the goal was to go to the [2017] Gold Cup, and that\u2019s what I talked to the players about and we qualified. Then after the first Gold Cup, my goal was the 2019 Gold Cup, and we did that.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Only after that did they start envisioning something more ambitious: qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. With fellow Concacaf members the United States, Canada and Mexico already assured spots as co-hosts and the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the opportunity felt more attainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Tahith Chong is the only player on Cura\u00e7ao's team born in the country. (Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images)<\/span> --><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Under the guidance of veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat \u2014 who has coached numerous teams in the Netherlands and abroad \u2014 Cura\u00e7ao went unbeaten in its 10-match World Cup qualifying campaign. It culminated in a draw against Jamaica on Nov. 18. 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;It means everything,&#8221; Room said of clinching a spot in the World Cup. &#8220;This was the main reason I started to play for Cura\u00e7ao because we had that dream. Back then, we were told, \u2018It\u2019s going to be a long road. It\u2019s going to be a bumpy road.\u2019 But I really believed we could reach the World Cup. I don\u2019t know what it was, but I had this feeling inside of me that we can make it with Cura\u00e7ao.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;It\u2019s an unbelievable feeling that you started something 10 years ago, and at the end you make it, you know? A lot of people said, \u2018Nah, you\u2019re never going to make it. It\u2019s too difficult.\u2019 We proved we can, so that makes it extra special.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>Cura\u00e7ao players celebrating after upsetting Jamaica and qualifying for the World Cup. (Photo by Ricardo MAKYN \/ AFP)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The vibes on the team that night in Jamaica started as a party in the locker room with guys dancing, screaming and playing music. Then, when they got back to the hotel, it was more relaxed and chill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"We were soaking it all in,\" Locadia said. \"We accomplished something amazing.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>For Chong, qualification was emotional. His grandmother, who lived her whole life on the island, had watched him play live for the first time last September. When the team drew Jamaica to punch its World Cup ticket, it was on her 97th birthday. He also thought of his father, who had played amateur soccer in Cura\u00e7ao and never believed he would witness his country qualify for the world\u2019s biggest tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"For me, it\u2019s nostalgic,\" said Chong. \"It\u2019s been a long process for everyone. It\u2019s not like we showed up to the qualifiers and got lucky. It\u2019s been a progression over the years. Progressing slowly but surely.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>There\u2019s a lot of excitement on the island, and players can feel it whenever they return for training. The moment the team qualified, fans started looking at flights and tickets. Room said he heard people were selling their stuff to afford the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Blue Wave opens Group E competition against Germany in Houston on June 14 before playing Ecuador in Kansas City on June 20 and the Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on June 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The team is especially amped for that first game against the Germans, given the players were all raised as neighbors and rivals in the Netherlands.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"Growing up in Holland, you want to win against Germany,\" Room said, smiling. \"So maybe that gives us an extra spark.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Beating four-time World Cup winner Germany would be the upset of the tournament, no doubt. Regardless of the result of that match or any other, arriving on the World Cup stage is a huge triumph. And, as Locadia explained, \"This is a stepping stone.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>In February, Cura\u00e7ao expanded its scope when it welcomed a Dutch Football Federation delegation to the island. During the trip, the two federations signed an agreement aimed at strengthening football development within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The partnership will formally provide resources for Cura\u00e7ao to continue growing the game by collaborating with the Netherlands in areas like training referees and coaches, football infrastructure, operating and developing youth and women's teams and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"We just feel like we\u2019re part of history right now,\" Chong said. \"We have an obligation to represent Cura\u00e7ao in a way that inspires the next generation that maybe in 15 or 20 years when Cura\u00e7ao qualifies for another World Cup, kids come in and say, \u2018I started playing because of the 2026 World Cup. The team that went to that World Cup inspired me to play.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"We\u2019re hoping this isn\u2019t the only time we qualify. We want to do it again in four years, eight years, 12 years. You want to continue the progress.\"<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Growing up in the Netherlands, Jurgen Locadia envisioned himself wearing those iconically vibrant orange jerseys at a World Cup. He played for the country&#8217;s youth national squads, was selected for the senior team a few times and started his professional career with Dutch clubs. So when peers tried to enlist him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}