Dick Advocaat has named an unchanged 26-man squad for Curacao ahead of the nation’s first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance, sticking with the same group selected for the March international friendlies following his recent return as head coach.
The squad will be captained by experienced midfielder Leandro Bacuna, 34, and includes players representing clubs across 10 different countries. Nearly half of the team currently play in the Netherlands.
Curacao, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a population of just over 150,000, fields a squad made up entirely of Dutch nationals. All members of the team were born in the Netherlands except former Manchester United winger Tahith Chong, who was born in the capital city, Willemstad.
Veteran goalkeeper Eloy Room, currently playing for Miami FC in the United States second division, is the oldest player in the squad at 37. Among the youngest is 22-year-old midfielder Arjany Martha, a former Ajax Amsterdam academy talent who was relegated from League One this season with Rotherham United.
Forward Gervane Kastaneer, who currently plays for Terengganu FC, also earned a place in the final squad.
Curacao’s qualification marks the country’s World Cup debut, while the 78-year-old Advocaat is set to become the oldest coach in tournament history.
Advocaat had initially stepped down in February after guiding Curacao to a surprise qualification in November, citing his daughter’s serious illness. However, he returned to the role last week after successor Fred Rutten resigned amid reports of unrest within the squad.
Curacao will compete in Group E, opening their campaign against Germany in Houston on June 14 before facing Ecuador in Kansas City on June 20 and Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on June 25.
Before the tournament begins, the Caribbean side will play warm-up matches against Scotland in Glasgow on May 30 and Aruba in Willemstad on June 6.
