Curaçao Into Nations League Quarter-Finals as Trinidad and Tobago Go Down
CARIBBEAN · FOOTBALL
Key Facts
- —The country Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island of about 156,000 people, became the smallest nation ever to qualify for a men’s World Cup in 2025.
- —The background The Concacaf Nations League is the main competition for national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, with promotion and relegation.
- —Why now Sunday 4 October was the last Nations League matchday in Group A, one of two six-team groups below the region’s four top sides.
- —What happened Curaçao drew 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain, won the group and reached the quarter-finals for the first time.
- —The numbers Curaçao finished unbeaten on 10 points; Trinidad and Tobago took 1 point from four games and Nicaragua none, so both drop a division.
- —What it means for you Curaçao now plays one of the four top-ranked sides over two legs in November, and the winner earns a place at the 2027 Gold Cup.
- —Still open Trinidad and Tobago can still reach the Gold Cup through a play-in round in November and a further round in March 2027.
Curaçao reached the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals for the first time on Sunday 4 October, after a 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago finished fifth in the group and drop to the second tier.
For Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island of about 156,000 people, it extends a run that took the team to this summer’s World Cup. For Trinidad and Tobago, it ends a group campaign that yielded one point from a possible 12.
How the Draw in Port of Spain Unfolded
The game was played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Fewer than 1,000 spectators attended, the Trinidad Guardian reported.
Luke Phillip put the home side ahead shortly before half-time, in the 39th minute, according to Concacaf, the regional governing body. Jordi Paulina equalised for Curaçao in the 61st minute.
Paulina scored from close range after a cross-shot from Juninho Bacuna, the Trinidad sports site Wired868 reported. Curaçao then pressed for a winner through the Bacuna brothers, Juninho and Leandro, and forward Jürgen Locadia.
Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Denzil Smith kept the score level with a late reflex save from Juninho Bacuna. The hosts were without 13 regular players through injury or suspension, including the team captain, the Guardian reported.
What the Nations League Is
Concacaf, the governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has 41 member associations. Its Nations League, now in its fifth edition, sorts their men’s teams into three divisions, called Leagues A, B and C.
As in a domestic league, teams can be promoted or relegated between editions. Curaçao and Haiti were both promoted into League A for this edition.
League A has 16 teams, but the four highest-ranked, Mexico, the United States, Canada and Panama, skip the group stage. The other 12 were drawn into two groups of six.
Each team in those groups played only four games, two at home and two away, rather than meeting everyone. That is why Curaçao faced Trinidad and Tobago twice but never met Haiti or the Dominican Republic.
The top two in each group join the four seeds in the quarter-finals. The fifth- and sixth-placed teams are relegated to League B once this edition ends.
Curaçao’s Unbeaten Group Campaign
Curaçao, coached by veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, opened with a 4-3 win in Costa Rica after trailing by three goals. It then beat Nicaragua 6-1 and Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 at home.
Sunday’s draw left Curaçao on 10 points, out of reach of the Dominican Republic, which could finish no higher than 9. Haiti also qualified, taking second place on goal difference ahead of the Dominican Republic.
Haiti lost its final game 2-0 in Costa Rica the same evening, as Costa Rica avoided relegation under interim coach Bryan Ruiz. Costa Rica finished fourth with 6 points.
Curaçao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a tie explored in coverage of the Dutch Kingdom summit in Sint Maarten. Dutch media hailed Sunday’s result as more history for Advocaat’s side.
Why Trinidad and Tobago Went Down
Trinidad and Tobago, nicknamed the Soca Warriors, reached the World Cup once, in 2006. It missed the 2026 tournament after finishing outside the qualifying places in a group won by Curaçao.
In this Nations League group it lost 3-2 to Haiti, 2-1 at home to the Dominican Republic and 1-0 away to Curaçao. Sunday’s draw was its only point.
The team, coached by Derek King, has now gone 12 games without a win, according to the Guardian and Wired868. Nicaragua, beaten in all four of its games, joins it in dropping to League B.
The Gold Cup Door Stays Open
Relegation does not end Trinidad and Tobago’s hopes of playing at the 2027 Gold Cup, the region’s championship. The Nations League is the only route into that 16-team tournament, held in June and July 2027.
The four teams that finish fifth or sixth in League A’s two groups enter a play-in round in November. Each faces one of four leading sides from League C, the third tier, over two legs.
The four play-in winners move on to the Gold Cup preliminary round in March 2027. That round, also played over two legs, fills the last seven places.
Trinidad and Tobago therefore needs two more series wins to reach the Gold Cup. For readers following the country more broadly, a step-by-step guide to moving to Trinidad and Tobago covers life on the islands.
What Comes Next
The quarter-finals are played home and away between 9 and 17 November. Curaçao meets one of the four top-ranked sides (Mexico, the United States, Canada or Panama), with the pairings set once Group B finishes.
Haiti, as a runner-up, also plays one of the four top-ranked sides. Group B, which includes Honduras and Jamaica, finishes by Tuesday 6 October, which settles the pairings.
Each aggregate winner qualifies directly for the 2027 Gold Cup and for the Nations League Finals in Los Angeles in March 2027. The four losing quarter-finalists drop into the Gold Cup preliminary round instead.
That means Curaçao has not yet booked a Gold Cup place, though it cannot finish worse than the preliminary round. Trinidad and Tobago, for its part, is relegated but not yet out of the Gold Cup race.
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Where is Curaçao?
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean and part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. About 156,000 people live there, making it the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a men’s World Cup.
Who will Curaçao play in the Nations League quarter-finals?
Curaçao plays a two-leg quarter-final in November against one of the four top-ranked sides: Mexico, the United States, Canada or Panama. The pairings are set once Group B finishes.
Is Trinidad and Tobago out of the 2027 Gold Cup?
No. It drops to League B of the Nations League, but it enters a two-leg play-in round in November. Two series wins would take it to the Gold Cup.
Who else qualified from Group A?
Haiti finished second with 9 points, ahead of the Dominican Republic on goal difference. Costa Rica was fourth, while Trinidad and Tobago and Nicaragua were relegated.
Sources: Concacaf (match report), 4 October 2026; Concacaf (format), 4 June 2026; Concacaf (groups), 24 July 2026; Concacaf (Gold Cup pathway), 24 August 2026; Trinidad Guardian, 4 October 2026; Wired868, 4 October 2026; NoticiaCla, 4 October 2026; NOS, 5 October 2026; Inside World Football, 5 October 2026; Reuters via Yahoo Noticias, 27 September 2026; WLRN, 19 November 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief