Only just over 156,000 people live in Curaçao, but that was enough to make it all the way to the World Cup for the small island in the Caribbean.
Haiti is also confirmed as a participant in the World Cup after a 2-0 victory against Nicaragua on Wednesday night Swedish time. The same applies to Panama, who secured a place in the World Cup after a 3-0 win against El Salvador.
A total of 48 national football teams will be allowed to play in the Men's World Cup in the summer of 2026 – 42 places are booked:
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan (debutant), South Korea, Uzbekistan (debutant), Qatar, Saudi Arabia.
Africa: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal.
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.
North and Central America and the Caribbean: USA, Mexico, Canada (host nations), Haiti, Panama, Curaçao (debutant).
Oceania: New Zealand.
Europe: England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland.
Six national teams from Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, North and Central America and the Caribbean will compete in a playoff for two World Cup spots in March.
