World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Suriname on the verge of historic opportunity

There are new faces in the World Cup every year, but if it is Suriname at the 2026 World Cup, this story will be very interesting. Because it is the homeland of many football legends, with very unique marks.

DREAM WORLD C UP BEFORE LAST 2 MATCHES

FIFA once announced an almost unimaginable figure of about 150 Surinamese players playing in the Eredivisie (the highest league in the Netherlands). That number is almost equal to the entire number of English players playing in the Premier League, and of course can create many teams at the same time. Apart from the players who have officially played for the Dutch national team, not all of the remaining Surinamese players are aiming for the national team in their homeland. But if only 10% of the professional player fund on the Dutch football field is developed, the unknown Surinamese national team will move up to a higher level. The reality is clear: Suriname has never been closer to a ticket to the World Cup finals than now.

Defender Liam Van Gelderen (3), born in the Netherlands and playing for the Suriname national team

PHOTO: AFP

Leading Group A of the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers (this is the only region in the world that has not yet qualified), Suriname only needs to survive the last two matches to realize their World Cup dream. They will host bottom team El Salvador at 5am tomorrow, November 14, then visit Guatemala at 8am on November 19.

Suriname’s group stage has been tight, with half of their games ending in draws, the rest by just one goal, and only one team scoring two goals in a single game. That was Suriname in their away win over El Salvador. Both of Suriname’s recent games (1-1 draws with Panama and Guatemala) saw goals scored in stoppage time. As a result, all four teams in the group still have hope. Suriname are currently level on points with second-place Panama and three points ahead of bottom-place El Salvador.

There are seven players playing in the Netherlands in the Suriname squad ahead of the final two qualifiers, none of whom have played for the big three clubs Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV. Reserve goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel (who has never played for the national team) is the only one on the list who plays domestically.

WILL THERE BE A "HOLLAND B" TEAM AT THE WORLD CUP ?

As the smallest country in South America in terms of both area and population, Suriname is heavily influenced by Brazilian football to the south. However, due to its similarities with the Caribbean, the Surinamese national team plays in the CONCACAF region. This year, all three major teams in the region, the United States, Mexico and Canada, are hosting the World Cup and are not participating in the qualifying round. The opportunity is wide open for all the remaining teams, and Suriname is on the verge of a historic opportunity. Also foreseeing this important opportunity, the Surinamese government changed the regulations, opening the door for players of Surinamese origin to return to play for their home team. Previously, Surinamese expatriates abroad were not granted dual citizenship. That is why hundreds of Surinamese players in the Netherlands have never appeared in their home national team.

Speaking of Surinamese blood in top-level football, everyone knows: Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Aaron Winter are the mainstay stars who contributed greatly to the only important championship of the Dutch team in history (EURO 1988). The current coach of the Surinamese team, Stanley Menzo, also belongs to the first generation of Surinamese stars in the Dutch team, like Gullit. Since the appearance of these players, the Netherlands has always been a football powerhouse. This is completely different from the previous situation: Dutch football returned to mediocrity after saying goodbye to the Johan Cruyff generation. Following Gullit and Rijkaard were Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf who rose to prominence in the 1990s, then Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil Van Dijk recently.

If Suriname qualify for the 2026 World Cup, more Dutch talent will come to them, and it will be a "Netherlands B" team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vong-loai-world-cup-2026-suriname-truoc-thoi-co-lich-su-185251112224757326.htm