Curaçao national team enters Guinness World Records after World Cup debut. Here’s the reason why
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
The Curaçao national football team has officially etched its name into the annals of history, setting a unique record now recognized by the Guinness World Records. This humble island nation has been acknowledged as the smallest country by population ever to reach the final stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Details: At the time of their historic triumph and World Cup qualification, Curaçao's population stood at just 156,115. The Curaçao Football Federation has already received official certification from Guinness World Records for this remarkable achievement.
Previously, this record belonged to Iceland, which stunned the football world by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup with a population of about 334,000. But the Caribbean squad has now shattered that mark by more than half, proving that when it comes to footballing glory, the size of a country and its population are far from decisive factors.
It’s worth noting that their debut match against Germany turned out to be a real trial by fire. Dick Advocaat’s squad suffered a tough 1-7 defeat.
Reminder: FIFA may change the football rules because of Belgium striker Harry Kane.
