Curacao coach Dick Advocaat, 78, announced an unchanged 26-man squad for the country's World Cup debut on May 18, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The squad is led by 34-year-old captain Leandro Bacuna and includes mostly players based in Dutch clubs, with nearly half the team playing in the Netherlands [1, 3]. All players hold Dutch nationality, except Tahith Chong who was born in Curacao, while the rest were born in the Netherlands [1, 3].
The oldest member of the squad is goalkeeper Eloy Room, 37, who plays in the US second tier, while midfielder Arjany Martha at 22 is among the youngest [1, 3]. Curacao, a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has a population of about 150,000 and covers 171 square miles [1, 3].
Advocaat became head coach in November 2025 after Curacao qualified as the smallest country ever to reach the World Cup [2, 4]. He stepped down in February 2026 due to his daughter's serious illness but was rehired in May after his successor Fred Rutten resigned amid player unrest [1, 2, 3, 4]. Rutten coached two warm-up friendlies in March, both lost to China and Australia [2, 4].
In preparation for the tournament, Curacao played warm-up friendlies against Scotland in Glasgow on May 30 and hosted Aruba in Willemstad on June 6 [1, 2, 3, 4]. After the warm-ups, the squad will base themselves in Boca Raton ahead of World Cup matches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico [2, 4].
Curacao will open their World Cup Group E campaign against Germany in Houston on June 14, followed by matches against Ecuador in Kansas City on June 20 and Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on June 25 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Advocaat said, "We have proven that we are difficult to beat. But the opponents in this group are of a different quality, of course. We know it will be very difficult, but nothing is impossible" [2, 4]. He also stated, "Next Monday we will gather in Noordwijk (in the Netherlands), and the focus will be entirely on playing football" [2].