Teams · Group E

Curacao

Famia Korsou

Curaçao, a Caribbean island of around 150,000 people, qualify for their first-ever World Cup — a landmark achievement built around a squad of Dutch-developed players with island heritage.

Curacao’s group path

Curacao starts in Group E with Germany, Ecuador, Cote d'Ivoire. They enter the group as the #4 team by MatchupSim power rating, which makes the finishing position especially important: first place, second place and a possible third-place route can each send them into a very different round-of-32 matchup.

Key facts

Confederation
North & Central America (CONCACAF)
Group
Group E · power-ranked #4 of 4
World Cup titles
0
Best finish
Debut
Qualified via
CONCACAF qualifying
Power rating (PWR)
59 · Elo 1480
Manager
Dick Advocaat

Players to watch

  • Tahith Chong — Winger (Sheffield United)
  • Leandro Bacuna — Midfield
  • Juninho Bacuna — Midfield

Group E opponents

Group-stage fixtures

2026 outlook

Debutants in Group E and the smallest nation by population ever to qualify, Curaçao arrive with nothing to lose and a remarkable story.

Prediction angles to test

Start with a favorites run, then test one aggressive version where Curacao wins Group E and one conservative version where they finish lower in the table. Comparing those paths shows whether their best chance comes from group control, a softer runner-up route, or surviving as one of the best third-place teams.

Simulate Curacao’s World Cup

Think Curacao can go all the way — or crash out early? Set their Group E finish in the simulator and watch the bracket re-wire around your call, or build a full prediction all the way to the final.