Curaçao’s Blue Wave, Haiti’s Revival and Panama’s Rise into the World Cup

WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao and Haiti are the newest standard-bearers for Caribbean football on the road to the FIFA World Cup 26, each writing a different chapter in the same historic story. In Curaçao, a decade of steady growth has now produced the ultimate reward: a first-ever FIFA World Cup™ qualification. The Blue Wave finished on top of Group B in the third round of Concacaf qualifying to secure their ticket to next year’s global showpiece in North America.

Curacao 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. Curacao, managed by former Premier League boss Dick Advocaat, who missed the match against Jamaica 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. 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.

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.

They defied the oddsmakers by going into Kingston on Tuesday night and earning a dramatic goalless draw with Jamaica, a result that sealed their place in the 48-team tournament. Guided by experienced head coach Dick Advocaat, Curaçao put together a superb qualifying run, going unbeaten in ten matches. In the second round they swept past Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti, racking up 15 goals.

The third round brought another test in the form of regional powers Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, plus Bermuda, yet Curaçao again impressed, highlighted by a 2-0 home win over Jamaica and a commanding 7-0 victory away to Bermuda to open the November window. With talents such as Tahith Chong, Kenji Gorre and brothers Leandro and Juninho Bacuna leading the charge, Curaçao will arrive at the FIFA World Cup 26™ full of belief that this new blue wave in the southern Caribbean is only the beginning.

Curaçao finally booked their place after an extraordinary finale at Kingston’s National Stadium, where Jamaica – coached by former England manager Steve McClaren – launched a furious onslaught as they chased the win which would guarantee them a World Cup place at their opponent’s expense.

The Jamaicans hit the the woodwork three times in the second half, with substitute Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri going agonisingly close with a header that crashed off the post in the 87th minute.

There was more drama in store in stoppage time, when Jamaica were awarded a penalty after substitute Jeremy Antonisse’s sliding tackle brought down Dujuan Richards in the area.

Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed to the spot to leave Curaçao facing the prospect of a heartbreaking defeat. But as Curaçao’s players protested, the decision went to VAR and was dramatically overturned to leave the Caribbean islanders on course for the World Cup.

Haiti

For Haiti, FIFA World Cup 26 marks a long-awaited return that stretches back more than fifty years. The football-loving island will participate in the tournament for the first time since 1974, a milestone that has Haitians of all ages smiling across the country and throughout the diaspora. Haiti secured passage despite playing all their home games at neutral venues, overcoming that disadvantage to earn a 2-0 win against Nicaragua on the final matchday in Group C of the third round and book their World Cup place. Les Grenadiers did not flinch when faced with heavily favored opponents Costa Rica, three-time World Cup participants Honduras and an improving Nicaragua, ultimately topping them all to clinch only their second World Cup appearance.

Their journey through qualifying demanded resilience. Haiti claimed a second-place finish in the second round to advance, finishing ahead of Saint Lucia, Aruba and Barbados, although they suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Curaçao along the way. Early in the third round the outlook was not promising; an opening home draw with Honduras was followed by a poor first half at Costa Rica that left them trailing 2-0 at the break.

The campaign turned when Duckens Nazon came off the bench and delivered a rapid hat-trick to rescue a 3-3 draw. Even so, Haiti entered the November window on the outside looking in, but once more they rose to the occasion, defeating Costa Rica 1-0 while Honduras dropped crucial points away to Nicaragua and in Costa Rica, clearing Haiti’s path. Nazon, now just five goals short of becoming Haiti’s all-time leading scorer, finished qualifying with six goals, the most of any player in Concacaf, and will now lead a team and a nation ready to shine on North American soil.

Panama

Closing out the trio of Concacaf success stories is Panama, which has earned a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup™. Los Canaleros booked their return to the world stage by winning Group A of the third round of qualifying. On the decisive final matchday, Panama defeated El Salvador 3-0, a result that lifted them above Suriname in the standings and locked in their spot in next year’s tournament in North America.

Their achievement continues a strong cycle that has seen Panama rise to the top of Central America, a status underlined by their qualification for Russia 2018 and deep runs to the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup final and the 2024 Nations League final. The road through the second round was smooth, with four wins from four matches against Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat and Belize. The third round was far more demanding for coach Thomas Christiansen’s squad.

Drawn with Suriname, Guatemala and El Salvador, Panama collected only six points from their first four games, but they found their rhythm when it mattered most in November, first claiming a crucial 3-2 victory away to Guatemala and then completing the job with the 3-0 success against El Salvador. Forwards Jose Fajardo and Cecilio Waterman combined for four goals in the final round, while influential midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla kept the team organized and balanced in the center of the pitch. Panama did not manage a win in Russia nearly eight years ago, yet the sense inside the camp and across the country is that the story in North America in 2026 will be very different.

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