This morning, the final round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the North and Central American region took place. Curacao and Jamaica have the same chance to take the top spot, but Curacao has the advantage. Because they have 1 more point, they only need a draw, while Jamaica must win.
With home advantage, Jamaica tried to pressure their opponents. But apart from the superior possession rate, they did not have any advantage in any other factor. In terms of shots and shots on target, Curacao dominated. However, after 90 minutes of competition, neither side could score and had to leave the field with a 0-0 draw.
In the end, Curacao maintained its leading position and a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, Jamaica was satisfied with a play-off spot.
This is a historic milestone for Curacao. 6 years ago, Curacao struggled to draw 1-1 with Vietnam, only able to beat Coach Park Hang-seo's team on penalties at the 2019 King's Cup in Thailand. Now, they have gone to the World Cup. Curacao has officially become the smallest country/territory in history to participate in the World Cup. The previous record for the smallest country in terms of area belonged to Cape Verde and the smallest in terms of population belonged to Iceland at the 2018 World Cup.
This is an extraordinary step forward for Curacao. From 150th place in FIFA just over 10 years ago, below the Vietnam team, Curacao has risen to 82nd place in the world. The director of their resounding success is Dick Advocaat. The Dutch coach has given confidence to a generation of players, who were also mainly trained in the Netherlands.
Along with Curacao, Haiti also made an incredible feat. They topped the group with big names like Honduras and Costa Rica to officially qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/doi-tuyen-suyt-thua-viet-nam-lap-ky-luc-voi-tam-ve-du-world-cup-2026-post1797540.tpo
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