This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Roller95 on 2025-11-20 08:17:44+00:00.

Curaçao, a participant in the 2026 World Cup. Anyone who had said that a few years ago would have been laughed at. The island has come a long way in many respects. Now, the World Cup dream has come true, thanks in part to national coach Dick Advocaat. A look back.

The now 78-year-old Advocaat was initially reluctant when Curaçao approached him for the national coach position in September 2023. The football association was facing a management crisis and was under the scrutiny of FIFA. The Hague-based coach was interested in the job, but would only step in once the internal problems had been resolved.

These were years in which Curaçao’s international players had to make do with minimal resources. Players were unpaid and sometimes transported to away matches in six-person planes.

Incidentally, Advocaat is not the top candidate when Curaçao begins its search for a new national coach. Bert van Marwijk, Louis van Gaal, and Fred Rutten were approached earlier but declined the opportunity.

Van Marwijk has retired as manager, Rutten declined after two weeks’ reflection, and Van Gaal only wants to aim for the highest level. “He declined because he couldn’t become world champion with us,” said Gilbert Martina, president of the Curaçao Football Association, speaking to Voetbal International.

Advocaat and Curaçao maintained contact in the autumn of 2023. He finally agreed in January 2024, after it became clear that the internationals had received their funding thanks to the contributions of several sponsors.

The coach could finally get started. And one thing was clear to him: this squad needed to be strengthened to have a serious chance of success. Advocaat devised a plan and approached a series of Dutch players with roots on the island.

He spoke with Justin Kluivert, Riechedly Bazoer, Armando Obispo, Joshua Brenet, Tahith Chong, Sontje Hansen, Shurandy Sambo, and Tommy St. Jago, among others.

Only Kluivert and St. Jago declined the offer; they wanted to remain available for the Dutch national team. This proved to be a justified decision, as later proved true in the case of Kluivert, who is now a regular Dutch international.

During that period, Advocaat also approached Ronald Koeman. The Hague native asked the Dutch national team coach which potential Curaçao internationals were no longer in the picture for the Dutch national team.

Advocaat’s plan is working. Several players are drawn to the positive narrative Advocaat is projecting, and little by little, the Curaçao squad is gaining quality and experience. The team is starting to win more and more.

Advocaat has to get used to one thing: the relaxed island life and the Antillean character. He invariably sees his players dancing and singing before a match, which is completely out of step with the strict regimen Advocaat has always imposed on his teams.

The team bus needs to be more professional, no more public dinners, and the music could use a bit less.

But Advocaat quickly realizes that he shouldn’t strip the Caribbean soul from this squad. This is the best way for his players to achieve top performances, he realizes.

And with success. Under the leadership of Advocaat, assistants Cor Pot and Dean Gorré, team doctor Casper van Eyck, and press secretary Kees Jansma, something unprecedentedly beautiful has emerged among the Curaçao players.

With a combination of faith, passion, prayer, and sheer hard work, ‘The Blue Wave’, the smallest country ever, qualified for a World Cup. A national holiday was born.

The fact that Advocaat wasn’t present at the decisive moment due to personal circumstances perhaps makes the whole story even more special. He’s the person who restored the pride of many players in playing for their country again and gave the island a face in global football.

Every football fan now knows where Curaçao is.