• Curacao has qualified for its first World Cup
• The Caribbean island nation is the smallest country to ever make the World Cup
• Curacao is known for being an offshore casino gambling haven

The tiny Caribbean island country of Curacao is headed to the 2026 World Cup.

Members of the Curacao National Football Team celebrate after qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Jamaica on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Curacao is known for being an offshore gambling hub. (Image: FIFA)

On Tuesday, Curacao made history by becoming the smallest-ever nation to qualify for the World Cup. The country’s ascent to global soccer’s main stage came after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on Tuesday to finish atop its four-team Concacaf group (Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football).

The island nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands went undefeated in its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Curacao beat St. Lucia 4-0 and Haiti 5-1 in June, tied Trinidad and Tobago, and beat Bermuda 3-2 in September, and beat group favorite Jamaica 2-0 to open their October window before tying Trinidad and Tobago again.

In November, Curacao made easy work of Bermuda 7-0 to reach the group finale. The Jamaica rematch resulted in a tie, sending the nation that’s home to only 156,115 people to soccer’s main event.

Curacao poached many football players from the Netherlands, as approved by FIFA, to help the nation reach its debut World Cup.

Curacao Casinos 

Part of the ABC islands, along with Aruba and Bonaire, Curacao is less reliant on tourism than most other Caribbean countries and territories. Curacao has large financial services and trade industries relevant to its size.

The nation also relies on its gaming industry. Along with land-based casinos, the country is known for being a hub for offshore online casinos and sports betting platforms.

Until 2023, obtaining an online gaming license in Curacao was a rather easy process. The country updated its compliance regulations that year to include stricter anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.

The changes, which additionally included more stringent oversight of licensees’ gaming operations, were to improve the country’s poor global reputation for being home to many offshore gambling entities.

Once scorned by countries from the United States to China for allowing their licensees to take bets from people abroad, the Curacao Gaming Authority now goes by the motto, “Elevating the Curacao Gaming Industry.”

The Curacao Gaming Authority strives to protect the interest of the public and the integrity and stability of the Curaçao gaming industry by ensuring that all gaming is conducted honestly, responsibly, competitively, and free from criminal and corruptive elements, thereby elevating the Curacao gaming industry,” the regulator said.

The focus of the online gaming updates has dealt with protecting consumers and combating money laundering and terrorism financing. The regulatory reforms haven’t appeased foreign nations wishing for Curacao to prohibit its iGaming concessionaires from targeting players in their countries.

World Cup Odds 

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted throughout North America in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Host cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York, and Philadelphia.

The odds are long that Curacao will make a deep run. FanDuel has Curacao at 1000/1 to win the Cup. A $1 bet on that unthinkable coming true would net $1,000.

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