Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy campaign, we’re taking a closer look at each nation competing at this summer’s tournament – highlighting their recent form, qualifying matches, key players and more.
Next up, Curacao.
The Blue Wave have qualified for the tournament for the very first time and, in doing so, become the smallest country ever to reach a FIFA World Cup.
Curacao are unlikely to dominate many opponents, but they have built their success around defensive organisation, discipline and structure. The squad stays compact out of possession, works relentlessly off the ball and rarely allows matches to become open or chaotic.
That approach may not always produce the most entertaining football, but it has made the Blue Waves extremely difficult to break down and could help them remain competitive during the group stage.
SQUAD
Dick Advocaat initially stepped away from the Curacao job due to personal reasons, but returned ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The experienced Dutch coach helped build Curacao into one of the most organised and disciplined sides in the CONCACAF region.
Advocaat officially announced Curacao’s final World Cup squad on May 18. The group is heavily built around players developed in the Netherlands and across Europe.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Including a 2-0 victory against Aruba that is not pictured among the results above, Curacao won seven of their 10 qualifying matches overall.
Curacao scored an impressive 30 goals during qualification. That was the highest tally among all nations in their federation.
However, of the 13 scored in the final round of CONCACAF qualification (ie the ‘three groups of four’ stage), 10 came against whipping boys Bermuda.
The underlying data (xG/xG conceded per 90 minutes) was slightly less convincing at both ends of the pitch, too:
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
Striker Gervane Kastaneer ($4.0m) was Curacao’s top scorer during qualification, finding the net five times. He also edged all of his teammates for expected goals (xG). All five strikes came before the all-important third round stage, however.
Juninho Bacuna ($5.1m) found the net twice and produced similar xG numbers to three-goal winger Kenji Gorre ($4.2m), but he actually registered 10 more shots overall. Bacuna’s attempts tended to come from distance: 20 of his 22 efforts were from further out than the penalty spot.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFICATION
Gorre was again near the summit for creative numbers, producing three assists during qualification.
But Juninho Bacuna bossed on the underlying stats front, producing more than double the number of key passes. His set-piece duties certainly helped boost those numbers.
SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Opposition | Result | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2026 | v China | 0-2 (L) | – | – |
| 31 March 2026 | v Australia | 1-5 (L) | Martha | Kastaneer |
| 30 May 2026 | v Scotland | 1-4 (L) | Chong | Obispo |
| 6 June 2026 | v Aruba | 4-0 (W) | Brenet, Antonisse, Comenencia, J Bacuna | n/a |
Curacao have played just four matches since qualification and lost three of them.
Recent showings against Scotland, Australia and China (not exactly international heavyweights themselves) are red flags, and Curacao will likely concede a lot of goals in the upcoming World Cup. There was some mitigation for the Scotland loss, at least: Curacao were 1-0 up when they went down to 10 men.
The win over Aruba ensured Advocaat’s troops headed to the States on a high but very little can be take from the game against a very poor national side ranked 189th in the world!
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
Really, there’ll be very little Fantasy interest in Curacao players. Indeed, many managers are tripling up on Germany assets ahead of Round 1, and including Ecuadorians in their squad ahead of Round 2.
Of all competing 48 nations, Curacao have the lowest bookies odds for a win (2.4%) and a clean sheet (3.5%) in Round 1.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
The lack of attacking threat among Curacao’s defenders makes it difficult to justify selecting one of them, especially when there are several other cheap options in the game offering both clean-sheet and attacking potential.
We do have an ‘out of position’ defender in the ranks, however, namely Leandro Bacuna ($4.0m). It’s a curious decision from the games-makers to list him as a defender, given that he almost exclusively plays in central midfield.
He’s on a share of direct free-kicks and is the occasional taker of corners, too.
Leandro’s brother, Juninho Bacuna ($5.1m), tends to operate with more of an attacking remit. Listed as a midfielder, he typically operates in the middle but has occasionally popped up as an ‘out of position’ striker.
Alongside producing two goals and two assists during qualification, Bacuna hit 20+ for both shots and chances created. He was the only Curacao player to do so.
With set pieces and penalties potentially in his favour, he has multiple routes to points heading into any given match.
