The tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday as Haiti booked their return to the tournament for the first time in 52 years along with Panama.
A nerve-shredding finale to the CONCACAF qualifying campaign saw Curacao — with a population of just 156,000 — squeeze into next year’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston.
Haiti, meanwhile, who last appeared in the World Cup in 1974, also completed an improbable qualification campaign with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua.
Ironically, Haiti secured their decisive qualification victory in Curacao, where the team have been forced to play their home qualifiers due to unrest in their homeland.
Panama, meanwhile, grabbed the other automatic qualification spot on offer on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over El Salvador at home.
That victory ended Suriname’s hopes of grabbing automatic qualification. Suriname, beaten 3-1 away by Guatemala, nevertheless squeezed into the playoff places.
Curacao, whose veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat was forced to miss the game due to a family issue in the Netherlands, were left celebrating a historic result.
The team known as the ‘Blue Wave’ finished top of Group B with 12 points from six games, one point clear of Jamaica.
Curacao are by far the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, which is being expanded to 48 teams next year for the first time.
Back in Curacao, Haiti ensured their return to the World Cup thanks to goals from Louicius Don Deedson and Ruben Providence in a 2-0 win over Nicaragua.
That result, combined with Honduras’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica, left Haiti on top of Group C with 11 points from six games. Honduras finished second with nine points, but just missed out on a place in next year’s inter-continental playoffs on goal difference from Suriname.
Haiti will now advance to the World Cup for only the second time. The team’s previous appearance came in 1974, when they were beaten by Italy, Poland and Argentina before exiting in the first round.
AFP
