Overview
- Curaçao secured an unbeaten first place in CONCACAF Group B with a 0-0 in Kingston, as head coach Dick Advocaat missed the match for family reasons.
- With a population of 156,115, according to the national statistics agency, Curaçao becomes the smallest country ever to reach a World Cup, surpassing Iceland’s mark from 2018.
- Panama clinched qualification with a 3-0 win over El Salvador, and Haiti topped Group C by beating Nicaragua 2-0 to return to the tournament for the first time since 1974.
- Jamaica moves into the intercontinental playoff semifinals in late March 2026 in Mexico, with DR Congo and Iraq already seeded into the playoff finals and a rule preventing a semifinal versus fellow CONCACAF side Suriname.
- The World Cup group draw is scheduled for December 5, with the tournament running June 11 to July 19, 2026 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.