Name: Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan set for World Cup debuts
Uploaded: 2025-12-07T07:34:07.843Z
Duration: 1 min 56 s
Description: At least four nations will be making their first appearance at the finals. Fans around the world watched on in excitement as they discovered their World Cup opponents.

At least four nations will be making their first appearance at the finals. Fans around the world watched on in excitement as they discovered their World Cup opponents.

Vancouver

Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan, and Uzbekistan have each secured qualification for their first FIFA World Cup, marking a historic milestone for these nations. Curacao, with a population of just over 150,000, becomes the smallest nation ever to qualify, while Cape Verde is the smallest African country to reach the tournament, having qualified ahead of Cameroon.

Jordan, runners-up in the 2023 Asian Cup, and Uzbekistan, after several near misses, will also make their debuts. These teams will compete in challenging groups, facing established football nations. Additional countries such as Suriname, New Caledonia, Kosovo, and DR Congo remain hopeful of joining the list of newcomers, pending the outcome of remaining qualifiers.

Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan set for World Cup debuts

With a population of just over 150,000 people, Curaçao are the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup. With the absence of hosts USA, Canada and Mexico from CONCACAF qualifying, it created an opportunity for the Caribbean island. Their award is a place in Group E alongside Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. I mean it's going to be awesome, it's going to be a lot of play time, but we're excited about this, we're coming to conquer the whole world. It doesn't matter who we play against, Curaçao is coming to the World Cup, everybody be prepared. Curaçao, you're ready, we can do this, we are very proud of you. In West Africa, Cape Verde are celebrating their debut appearance. They are the smallest nation from the continent to reach the global event, qualifying ahead of World Cup regulars Cameroon. Many are hoping to make the trip over next year, with games against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to look forward to. We've qualified and this doesn't happen every day. The next time we qualify, we might not be here, so let's go and support them. The time is now. Jordan are a team on the rise. Runners-up in the 2023 Asian Cup, they qualified with a game to spare. They'll have defending world champions Argentina to contend with in Group J. We're driven by hope that we've qualified. The group is very difficult and I think it's one of the toughest in the World Cup. Nevertheless, we have to be competitive. It's the first time we're seeing our national team in the World Cup group stage. There's lots of excitement and we're hoping to be with the champions Argentina. God willing, we'll win, we'll win. After narrowly missing out on a few occasions, Uzbekistan will also be making their debut. Depending on how the qualifiers go, the likes of Suriname, New Caledonia, Kosovo and DR Congo will be hoping to join the list of newcomers. Tom Syzant, Al Jazeera.

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