Most of the teams arrived at the World Cup with large planes painted in the colors of their countries. In ties and on red carpets. The national team of Curaçao, the smallest country ever to make it to the world championship in footballshe came to the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada in her own style. The story is a bit reminiscent of Ice tracksa film about the first appearance of the Jamaican bobsled at the Olympics…
Curaçao arrived at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in a blue school bus with no windows, local music blaring and players singing along. A team that no one believed had any chance of qualifying for the WC managed the impossible in March.
On an island with barely 157,100 inhabitants, “Blue Wave” completely surprised in the qualifications in the spring. Curaçao, the 82nd national team in the Fifa rankings, had to beat Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda in the last qualifying group for the World Cup.
The national team was founded in 2010 and no one could have predicted its rapid rise. She qualified for the WC after a draw with Jamaica in the last round, which sent fans into ecstasy.
The blue wave will be a WC sensation. PHOTO: Pong Pong/AFP
The size of the island is not the only historical peculiarity of this team. Curaçao will be led by the oldest coach in World Cup history: a 78-year-old former Dutch international Dick Advocatewho most recently managed Sunderland.
Livano Comenencia believes that Curacao will not be a “bucket”. PHOTO: Pong Pong/AFP
Group E, in which Curaçao was placed, is very difficult. The Caribbean nation will face Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. But that did not shake the hopes of the players, among them Livana Comenenciawho plays in Switzerland for Zurich.
Curaçao’s most famous fan “Brenton Captain Blue Face Balentien” PHOTO: Pong Pong/AFP
“Once the match starts, anything is possible. It’s always 11-on-11, not five-on-11,” Comenencia said. “Everything is possible, even against Germany. I think four points will be enough to qualify for the next stage of the competition, a win and a draw. We will do everything in our power to succeed.”
Curaçao will continue training in Florida before facing Germany in the first match in Houston on June 14 (19:00 GMT).
