With just 108 days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup, the Curaçao national team announced that Dutch coach Dick Advocaat has stepped down from his position for personal reasons. The decision was not motivated by results or any sporting disagreement. On the contrary, Advocaat chose to leave the team to focus on his daughter’s health, saying that he is putting family before football. The coach communicated his departure by mutual agreement with the local federation.
The coach’s departure was felt even more strongly because Advocaat was not just another manager. He was responsible for the rise of Curaçao’s football. At 78 years old, the Dutchman took charge of the national team in January 2024 and quickly transformed the side into one of the leading teams in the Concacaf qualifiers. During his tenure, the team played 19 matches, recording 11 wins, six draws and only two defeats. It was this campaign that secured qualification for the World Cup finals, making Curaçao the smallest country by both population and territory ever to compete in the tournament.
For a country of this size, the opportunity to participate in a global tournament is extremely significant. In context, Curaçao has around 160,000 inhabitants and does not have a fully structured professional league. The country built its national team by relying on players with family roots on the island, but who were mainly developed within Dutch football. This strategy raised the technical level of the squad and accelerated its competitive development.
Curaçao’s rise did not happen by chance. Since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, the country has undergone a gradual process of sporting reconstruction. Dutch coaches have played an essential role in this transformation. In recent years, the team has established itself as a competitive force within Concacaf.
An inevitable change
Despite the sporting success, Advocaat’s departure had already shown signs months earlier. The coach had missed important qualifying matches due to family matters, indicating that his presence until the World Cup could be uncertain. The official confirmation has now been announced precisely as the national team enters the most delicate phase of preparation for the tournament. The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico and will be the first edition to feature 48 teams. Advocaat described his time with the Curaçao national team and securing World Cup qualification as a major achievement. He has previously managed several other national teams, including the Netherlands and South Korea.
To replace him, the federation has chosen another Dutch name: Fred Rutten. At 63, he arrives with experience at major European clubs, including PSV, Feyenoord and Schalke 04, and will be tasked with maintaining the identity built in recent years. In his first statement, Rutten paid tribute to his predecessor and committed to continuing the work already carried out. The idea is to preserve the tactical structure and competitive environment that led the country to qualification, avoiding drastic changes on the eve of the tournament.
The challenge is enormous. Leadership changes close to major competitions often create uncertainty, especially for national teams with little tradition in tournaments of this scale. Rapid adaptation between the coaching staff and players will be decisive for the team’s performance.
This article was first published in Portuguese on 23 February 2026.
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