Curaçao has qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time in the history of the country, which spans just 440 square kilometers. This is a historic achievement not only for the national team but also for Dutch coach Dick Advocaat.
Advocaat missed Wednesday morning’s crucial match against Jamaica due to family reasons, but he remains the coach of Curaçao, and the qualification achievement is credited to him.
At 78 years old, the Dutchman will become the oldest coach to participate in a World Cup.
The previous record was held by the legendary German coach Otto Rehhagel, who led Greece in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the age of 71 years and 317 days.
This will be Advocaat’s second World Cup as a coach, having previously led the Netherlands in the 1994 edition in the United States.
It is worth noting that Curaçao, a former Dutch colony, became the smallest country in history, in terms of size and population, to qualify for the World Cup.
