Curaçao, Argentina’s rival: between the match of a lifetime and a worldwide illusion

“And who are we playing against now?” The question is repeated among Argentines fascinated by staggered. When they hear”Curacao” In response, an immediate amazement is generated and an inevitable cross-question: “And who are these?”

To begin with, it must be said that it is an island that is officially a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is located in front of the waters and coasts of Venezuela and close to another island that has the same geopolitical status, but more affinity with the Argentinean fan: Aruba. Former President José María Aguilar once said, “River is Aruba.” Closer in time, Néstor Apuzzo, Huracán’s coach at the time, said: “We arrived in Iraq and now we are in Aruba.” The Caribbean entered as a metaphor.

But the question is Curacao. In Dutch it must be spelled Curaçao (“heart” or “healing”, are the presumed origins of the name). And in Spanish it has two valid spellings: Curaçao and Curasao. The first is the majority in writing, both in Spain and in America: “Curaçao’s first schooners sailed quietly.” (Garcia Marquez. Live to tell). In any case, Papiamento is spoken in this space of beauty, a mixture of local languages, Spanish and Portuguese.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon: it’s not impossible

Football has been played there since 1924. And beyond the FIFA ranking (it reached 68th place in July 2017) and the one-time Qatar 2022 World Plan, captained by none other than Guus Hiddinkthis team of which little or nothing was known and is known in the country of world champions, will play today in Santiago del Estero the most important match in its history.

Its federation was founded in 1921 and joined FIFA in 1932 and CONMEBOL in 1966. Their first recorded match is far away: April 4, 1924, 4-0 away win against Aruba.

The first World Cup with three venues (Mexico, USA and Canada) has Curaçao among the candidates. Of course it would be a surprise. But not so much. Of the CONCACAF qualifiers there will be, in addition to the places for the organizers, three more fixed and two more for the international playoffs.

Also according to the FIFA rankings, Costa Rica is 32nd, Panama 61st, Jamaica 64th, El Salvador (74th) and Honduras (81st). The five already had experience at the World Cup. Immediately after that, right there, is Curaçao, at position 86.

Journalist and storyteller Gustavo Flores, from El Salvador’s “Diario de Hoy”, knows a lot about CONCACAF football. And he indicates before the consultation of clarion: “Curaçao is experiencing a growth process. And I think it is capable of surprising. Not a team to beat for quite some time now“. ​

Thus they will reach the land of champions

A little less than 72 hours from the match against Argentina, Curaçao lost 2-0 against Canada in Willemstad, the capital of the Caribbean country, a UNESCO heritage site and a beauty for those who know it. Thus, they finished third in their group and could not enter the semi-finals of the Nations League. In that game he suffered a conditioning factor: defender Juriën Gaari was sent off after 38 minutes.

Of the 24 called up by coach Remko Bicentini, none participates in the Curaçao Peripheral League. But there is one detail that associates him with Argentine football: it is the local club Sport Unie Brion Trappers, which, in addition to being the most champion, wears the blue and gold colors in honor of Boca.

Names to keep in mind

Curaçao is continuously growing, especially in the last five years. In 2017 he won the Caribbean Cup for the first time, the final of which is played in Martinique: Jamaica 2-1, Argentina’s rival at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Midfielder Elson Hooi, who plays for Al-Minaa in the Iraqi league, has been chosen as the man of the match in the competition. He is on the squad list to face Messi and company.

Other players to consider: defender and captain Cuco Martina, who plays for NAC Breda in the Netherlands and is the player with the most caps, with 60; and Rangelo Janga, Cluj striker from Romania and top scorer of Curaçao together with Leandro Bacuna, English Watford winger.

Closer in time, it took two consecutive trophies from the Dutch quarter in the Caribbean: the ABCS Cup (named after the initials of its participants: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Suriname). Both competitions were held in 2021 and 2022 under the skies of Curaçao.

This mystery team will have the luxury of facing the world champion. And the dream of getting on the 2026 World Cup train is encouraged. If realized, it will be a kind of record: it will be the least populated country to enter a World Cup. Its 152,369 inhabitants, according to official data from 2021, will party for several days and nights.