New Delhi: Curacao woke up to a moment many on the island once believed to be only a fantasy. On Tuesday, the Caribbean nation with a population barely touching 156,000 held Jamaica to a tense 0-0 draw to secure their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With that, they became the smallest country ever to reach the tournament. It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t calm, but it was historic.

The tension inside the stadium felt almost tangible. Jamaica pushed, probed, and rattled the woodwork three times after halftime, leaving Curacao hanging on by threads that seemed ready to snap.

Then came the moment everyone thought would break them. Deep into stoppage time, referee Ivan Barton pointed to the spot after Dujuan Richards went down under Jeremy Antonisse’ s challenge. When checked on

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