KINGSTON, Jamaica — The tiny Caribbean island country Curaçao will go to the 2026 World Cup as the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the marquee event in men’s soccer .

Curaçao, an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people within the Netherlands kingdom, takes the record of Iceland , with a population of just over 350,000, which was the previous smallest country to reach the World Cup when it qualified for Russia 2018.

A team relying heavily on players born and raised in the Netherlands rode its luck Tuesday to take a 0-0 draw in Jamaica and finish top of a four-team group.

Its other opponents were Trinidad and Tobago and last-place Bermuda .

Curaçao has actively recruited from its diaspora, getting permission from FIFA within world soccer’s rule

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