Curaçao is set to make history in 2026: the small Caribbean island – with just under 150,000 inhabitants, the smallest nation in the tournament – is making its World Cup debut. The opening match against Germany is a historic moment. Manager Dick Advocaat, aged 78, is the oldest manager in the tournament.

Manager Dick Advocaat has named three goalkeepers for the Blue Wave: Eloy Room, Trevor Doornbusch and Tyrick Bodak. Curaçao is taking part in a World Cup for the very first time, one of four debutants at the 2026 World Cup. In Group E, they will face Germany, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The trio all grew up in the Netherlands, reflecting a squad made up almost exclusively of players who have been brought up within the Dutch diaspora.

Room is 37 years old, was born in Nijmegen and is the longest-serving player in Curaçao’s entire World Cup squad, level with captain Leandro Bacuna on 71 international caps each. He has spent his entire career in the Netherlands, with Vitesse as his main club for almost a decade. From there, he moved to PSV, where he won the Dutch league title and the KNVB Cup in 2018. This was followed by a move to the MLS and Columbus Crew, where he played for five seasons from 2019 to 2023 and won the MLS Cup twice during the club’s most successful decade. After returning to Europe to play for Vitesse and Cercle Brugge, he joined Miami FC in the USL Championship – the second tier of American football – in January 2026, making him the first active Miami FC player to take part in a World Cup during a World Cup season.

During the CONCACAF qualifiers, Room was in goal for all the crucial matches and kept eleven clean sheets on the road to the World Cup. What sets him apart is not spectacular goalkeeping, but his ability to keep the team together. Room is Curaçao’s key figure in goal.

Doornbusch is 26 years old, was born in Haarlem and has followed a career path through the Dutch football academy system that is rarely seen in its entirety. As a child, he played for the Ajax Academy before moving to Heerenveen, where he signed his first professional contract. After spells with Telstar and Dordrecht in the Eerste Divisie, he has been playing for VVV-Venlo since February 2025. He originally played for the Dutch U17 and U18 teams, but then opted to represent the national team of Curaçao due to his Curaçaoan heritage. He made his debut for Curaçao in 2023. In the CONCACAF qualifiers, he played for eight minutes in a 1–5 friendly defeat against Australia; otherwise, he remained the reliable second choice behind Room.

Bodak is 24 years old, was born in Almere and is the youngest goalkeeper in the trio. His career path took him from De Graafschap to the PSV academy, where he progressed through all the youth ranks until 2021 and signed his first professional contract. After spells with Jong PSV and Cambuur, he moved to SC Telstar in 2024, with whom he secured promotion to the Eredivisie via the play-offs in the 2024/25 season. In his first Eredivisie season, 2025/26, he is the third-choice goalkeeper behind Ronald Koeman Jr. and Joey Houweling and makes very few appearances. With five senior international caps for Curaçao, he is the least experienced international goalkeeper in the trio. The World Cup is his first major tournament and a huge step up from the Dutch third tier to the world of international football.