WILLEMSTAD – Google search activity for “Curaçao” and “Curaçao national football team” rose sharply over the past year, driven by the island’s historic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and renewed attention following the tournament’s group-stage draw.
A steady year before the breakthrough
From December 2024 through most of 2025, online interest in “Curaçao” remained steady, according to Google Trends. Searches typically measured between the mid-20s and mid-40s on Google’s 0–100 scale, which reflects relative popularity during a selected period.
Search activity for “Curaçao national football team” stayed near zero, drawing limited attention outside regional and diaspora football communities.
That steady rhythm held for nearly the entire year — until November delivered a dramatic turn.
November 19: qualification sends searches to record highs
On November 19, the day after Curaçao earned a 0–0 draw against Jamaica to qualify for its first-ever FIFA World Cup, global search activity surged. According to Google Trends, searches for “Curaçao” reached 100, the highest possible value for the timeframe measured. Searches for “Curaçao national football team” climbed to 38, also the strongest figure of the year.
The spike marked a sudden break from the predictable search patterns of earlier months. The qualification result not only rewrote football history for the island but also drew worldwide attention to a nation of roughly 155,000 people.
December 5: World Cup draw brings another rise
A second increase followed on December 5, when Curaçao was placed into Group E with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast for the 2026 World Cup.
Searches for “Curaçao” rose to 40, while searches for “Curaçao national football team” measured 3, according to Google Trends.
Though smaller than the November spike, the December rise clearly stood above Curaçao’s baseline. The draw renewed global interest as fans sought details about the Caribbean debutant and its opponents.
How the short-term spikes fit into the full-year picture
Looking across the entire year, Google Trends data shows a clear narrative: months of stable interest punctuated by two defining moments. November delivered the highest level of global attention Curaçao received all year, reflecting the magnitude of its qualification. December added a meaningful second wave as the World Cup picture took shape.
Together, the spikes show how Curaçao’s emergence on football’s biggest stage reshaped global awareness of the island. Qualification sparked the world’s curiosity; the draw ensured it continued.
The smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup
Curaçao, with a population of about 155,000, is the smallest nation ever to appear in a FIFA World Cup. The rise in search activity underscores how the team’s achievement has already expanded the island’s presence in global football conversations ahead of 2026.
A historic debut awaits in Group E
Curaçao’s first steps on the World Cup stage will come in Group E, where the team will face some of the sport’s most established programs. The island will open its campaign against Germany in Houston, then travel to the Midwest to meet Ecuador in Kansas, before closing the group stage against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia.
These matches will mark Curaçao’s debut at a World Cup, completing a journey that has already attracted global attention — visible both in the team’s accomplishments and in how the world has searched, learned and talked about the island throughout the past year.