 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
150,000 small countries did what they couldn't do even 1.4 billion continents.
Former veteran coach Dick Advocaat (78), who is familiar with the nickname "Children's Clothes", will lead the Korean national soccer team to the World Cup finals again after 20 years since he participated in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Quiraso (No. 82 in FIFA rankings), led by Dutch coach Advocaat, drew 0-0 against Jamaica in the final match of Group B of the third qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Kingstone National Stadium in Jamaica on the 19th (Korea time). Quiraso, who was leading the group, had three wins and three draws (12 points) due to the draw, beating second-place Jamaica (11 points) by one point to win the ticket to the World Cup. In the third qualifying round between North Korea and China, three top teams in the group will go straight to the finals, and two teams with good performance among the second-place teams will compete in the intercontinental playoff (PO).
Quiraso, which has a population of just over 150,000 people, is expected to play in the finals for the first time in history under the title of the smallest country in World Cup history. Curaçao is smaller than the size of Iceland, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. Quiraso, who was ranked 150th in the FIFA rankings 10 years ago, met Advocaat in January 2024 and continued to grow, and has now jumped to 82nd place. As the number of countries advancing to the North Korea-China World Cup finals expanded from 32 to 48, and the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, which belong to the North Korea-China Federation, automatically advanced to the finals as co-hosts, Quiraso also had an opportunity. He made history by using Dutch naturalized players such as midfielder Taiti Chong (Sheffield United), a former Manchester United youth player.
With Curaçao's joining, the number of countries making their debuts in this World Cup finals has increased to four. Earlier, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Cabo Verde in Africa won tickets to the finals for the first time ever. Quiraso is likely to meet South Korea in the group stage, where he is classified as the No. 4 port in the FIFA rankings and has been confirmed as the No. 2 port. This means that Advocaat could have a picture of a strategic match with Hong Myung-bo, the current coach of the Korean national team, who was a coach at the time of the German World Cup. The face-off against underdog Quiraso is also a boon to Hong Myung-bo, who is aiming for a better result than the round of 16. The World Cup draw will take place on December 6.
Advocaat watched the historical moment from a distance. According to the Quiraso Football Association, he did not lead the match against Jamaica due to personal circumstances. According to the British public broadcaster 'BBC', Advocaat will become the oldest head coach in the history of the World Cup if he takes the helm on the main stage. The previous oldest record was held by coach Otto Rehagel, who led Greece at the age of 71 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The 20-year-old advance to the World Cup is a milestone that is hard to find in soccer history.
If they don't lose on this day, Curaçao, who will reach the World Cup finals, has overcome the crisis several times. Jamaica's penalty was canceled after a video reading system, and Jamaica's Jonathan Russell left in the 44th minute of the second half due to cumulative warnings. Jamaica only had to score one goal in front of the home fan, but heaven did not allow that one goal.
 |
| APYonhap News |
|
Meanwhile, Suriname from the Netflix movie `Surinam' also sought to go straight to the World Cup finals for the first time in history with Quiraso. Suriname, who was unbeaten, allowed a turnaround to Panama, which beat El Salvador 3-0, by catching Guatemala 1-3 in the final Group A match of the third qualifying round between North Korea and the U.S. on the same day. Panama scored 12 points, bringing down Suriname (9 points) and reaching the finals. In Group C, Haiti (11 points) beat Nikagura (4 points) 2-0 and Honduras (9 points) drew 0-0 with Costa Rica (7 points). As a result, Haiti, the second-ranked team in the group, brought down Honduras and won the ticket to the finals for the first time in 52 years since the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. The preliminary round between North Korea, China and the U.S. produced a better match than any other continent.
In North and Central America, six teams have confirmed their advance to the finals so far, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Curaçao, Panama, and Haiti. Jamaica and Suriname, who have good results among the second-place teams in the group, will advance to the intercontinental playoffs.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
