World Cup 2026: Curacao is ready to take center stage on the world stage.

18 players in the team represented the Netherlands at youth level, two of them – Raichedli Bazoer and Joshua Brenet – won senior titles.

The transition from Curaçao’s national team, from local amateur players to members of the diaspora, began when it began hiring big-name Dutch managers – starting with Patrick Kluivert in 2015.

37-year-old Miami FC goalkeeper Eloy Rum was the first member of this team to play for Curacao in 2016, with former Aston Villa and Cardiff midfielder Leandro Bacuna among his followers.

Bacuna said: “We have done a great thing for Curacao. I started this journey 10 years ago and I want to make the people of Curacao proud.

“The manager keeps saying we’re not done. We want to show people who are small like us, we have a big heart. I believe if you have a big heart you can go far.”

His brother Juninho, who played for Huddersfield, Rangers and Birmingham, followed in 2019.

The 28-year-old told the BBC: “It’s something we’ve always dreamed of – when we were kids we dreamed of playing together in the same team in the same game.

“That’s why I decided early on to play for Kurakao so I could be on the same team with him, make my parents proud, make the island proud.”

The biggest influx of Dutch-born talent has happened recently, with 15 of this team making their debuts since 2023.

It includes Chong, who represented the Netherlands at Under-21 level before switching to Curacao last year.

“We have many players in Holland who never thought of playing for Curacao,” continued Juninho Bacuna.

But you can see the heart, faith and connection they have with Curacao.

“They feel love from the people, they feel everything from the island, so the relationship is getting stronger and stronger.”

In other countries, not calling many local players may be more of a problem.

But the importance placed on Curaçao’s diaspora in the Netherlands – a population similar to that of the island – makes this different.

“I don’t think it’s an issue,” said Curaçao-born Bodino de Jong, co-founder of Profound, FFK’s digital partners.

“Our diaspora is very used to being outside the island. So it’s not necessarily in the way we identify ourselves. Even if a player is not born here, they feel a very distant connection and are called Curacao.”