‘It’s magical’ – The fish farmer, the Dutch tactician and the 23-year project that carried Curacao to their first World Cup
Qualifying for the World Cup, globally, is easier than it has ever been. It’s a question of math, really. Forty-eight teams make it to the tournament. There are more spots up for grabs. Some have criticized the initiative. Qualifying in CONMEBOL, for example, is much easier – with up to three extra spots up for grabs depending on seeding. But elsewhere? It’s just as tricky.
And in fact, Curacao should be nowhere near this thing. In truth, a few things went their way. The fact that three CONCACAF nations had qualified as hosts – Mexico, Canada and the U.S. – made for a lighter group phase. And their group itself was remarkably kind, with a struggling Jamaica their only real competition.
However, they still needed to pick up results. To make it all happen, Curacao appointed Dick Advocaat, an experienced Dutch manager who had coached extensively in the Eredivisie, Scottish Premier League, and Bundesliga.
And when Martina was appointed head of the FA for good in April 2025, he made it a priority to schedule as many fixtures as possible in the run-up to qualification this fall.
“Funding is very important, because this is very costly, and the Federation does not have that amount of money to sponsor and to cover all the costs. So bringing in sponsors was key. We played 10 games this year, and the majority of those costs were covered by two of our sponsors, one of them an airline,” Martina said.
The luck of the draw also meant that Curacao played back-to-back home fixtures in October. They knew that a duo of results against Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago would stand them in good stead.
Oct. 10 was special. It’s Curacao’s independence day, and this year, it marked 15 years since it became an autonomous nation. A win when they hosted the Reggae Boyz would have put them top of their qualification group. One of those cosmic coincidences – the very spirituality the team focuses on – might just come true. The buzz around the island was palpable, Martina said. He knew the fans would show up. But he had no idea how significant the support would be.
Ergilio Hato Stadium was packed. Some of the fans couldn’t even fit in. And when Livano Comenencia, a former Juventus academy product, smashed one in from 30 yards in the first half, the crowd, which far outnumbered the 10,000 capacity of the stadium, was sent into raptures. They added a second and held on for a 2-0 win.
“It was a huge, huge party, a huge gift,” Martina said.
