WILLEMSTAD, THE HAGUE - Dick Advocaat was at home in the Netherlands due to family circumstances when Curaçao secured its historic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup late Tuesday night. But despite being thousands of kilometers away, the 78-year-old head coach lived through every moment with intense emotion.
Advocaat returned to the Netherlands over the weekend, leaving assistant coaches Cor Pot and Dean Gorré in charge for the crucial match against Jamaica.
“Fantastic for the people on the island and for the players, who once again gave everything they had to pull off a result,” Advocaat said. He watched from his living room as his team secured a 0-0 draw in Kingston — enough for qualification for the 2026 World Cup. “Beforehand we made very clear agreements about how we would approach the match. I had talked it through again with Cor Pot and Dean Gorré. But watching your own team play on television is a nightmare, I can tell you.”
“I was exhausted afterward, far more than when I’m standing on the touchline,” he added. “On the field you can position things the way you want and you release your energy. This was such an important match.”
One moment in particular sent the veteran coach’s nerves through the roof: when the referee awarded Jamaica a penalty. “I went completely mad, I can tell you that,” he said. “It was never a penalty, you could see that immediately. Thankfully the VAR intervened — that’s what it’s there for, although you can never be sure. A single moment like that could have sunk us. That’s how fine the margins are in football.”
Asked whether this was the greatest achievement of his long career, Advocaat was cautious. “I’ve experienced so much. I had retired several times and then they called me again and I started over. After something like this you’re inclined to say it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced, but that wouldn’t be fair to a lot of other moments. But this is certainly the craziest thing I’ve ever been part of.”
All eyes now turn to the World Cup draw on December 5. Could Curaçao end up facing the Netherlands? “Who knows, that’s not up to me,” Advocaat smiled. “It would be fun, wouldn’t it? The most important thing is that Curaçao is going to a World Cup. Who would have thought that?”
