Curacao vs Jamaica
The battle for World Cup 2026 spots in the CONCACAF region is heating up, as we’re into the final round of the qualifiers. We’re now down to 12 teams (after starting with 32), and they are divided into three groups.
Here in Group B, Jamaica occupy the top berth with six points, and Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda are right behind them with four, one, and zero points. This Friday, Curacao will host Jamaica at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in a battle for the top spot.
This is a must-win game for both sides since clinching the top spot guarantees a World Cup berth. Meanwhile, finishing in second makes the path more complicated, as they’ll have to go through the inter-confederation play-offs, depending on ranking.
The SBOTOP World Cup 2026 odds favour Jamaica, but Curacao would be keen to remind their fans that their national team is no pushover.
Talking Points
Curacao punch above their weight
Curacao are on the cusp of qualifying for next year’s World Cup, as Dick Advocaat has done a superb job at the helm. Since taking the head coaching job in January 2024, Advocaat has managed to record nine wins, four draws, and suffered just three losses. Four of those victories came in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying, resulting in Curacao finishing at the top of Group C with a 100-per cent record to advance to the final round.
The Blue Wave had a disappointing run in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, as they failed to advance past the group stage, finishing third behind Canada and Honduras in Group B. However, they immediately bounced back with a goalless draw against Trinidad and Tobago and a 3-2 victory against Bermuda in their next two matches during last month’s international break.
With three games remaining, Curacao aim to make a run for the World Cup, but they’ll have to do it without two of their key players. Advocaat will be unable to call upon midfielder Tahith Chong and defender Riechedly Bazoer due to injuries. But the latter could be fit for their match against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Persis Solo striker Gervane Kastaneer will be keen to add to his five-goal tally in the qualifiers, with Jurgen Locadia likely serving as his backup. Kastaneer will move up to fourth on Curacao’s all-time scoring list if he finds the back of the net against the Reggae Boyz.
Familiar faces for Jamaica
Jamaica are the favourites to qualify directly for next year’s World Cup, as head coach Steve McClaren has steered them in the right direction. Since taking the head coaching job in July 2024, the Reggae Boyz have managed to reach the CONCACAF quarter-finals and comfortably progressed from the second round of the ongoing qualifiers with four wins from four matches in Group E before winning their last two games against Bermuda (4-0) and Trinidad and Tobago (2-0) without conceding.
The Reggae Boyz will have a handful of key players back in tow, as Andre Blake, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Amari’i Bell, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Rumarn Burrell, and Demarai Gray are expected to play against Curacao after missing the games against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago.
In other World Cup 2026 news, newcomers Ian Fray and Seymour Reid are in line to make their national team debuts this international break. However, Jamaica will continue to miss the services of Michail Antonio, Warner Brown, and Leon Bailey due to injuries.
History
Despite being in the same region, Curacao and Jamaica have rarely faced off in international competition. Before this Friday, Jamaica have the slight edge in the overall head-to-heads with two wins, while Curacao have one win and one draw. The Reggae Boyz are on a three-game undefeated run against the Blue Wave (W2, D1).
Curacao was part of the Netherlands Antilles national team, following a constitutional change in December 1954. The Netherlands Antilles national team represented the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. In October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved, and Curacao became an independent country, similar to how Yugoslavia dissolved into seven nations (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia) in the 1990s to 2000s.
Curacao never qualified for the World Cup. However, as part of the Netherlands Antilles, they managed to finish third twice in the 1963 and 1969 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Meanwhile, Jamaica have once qualified for the World Cup but never advanced past the group stage in 1998. The Reggae Boyz are regulars in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, however. Jamaica finished third twice in 1993 and 2023.
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