Curaçao will make history in 2026: The small Caribbean island—with just under 150,000 residents, the smallest nation in the tournament—will make its World Cup debut. Its first match against Germany will be a historic moment. Coach Dick Advocaat, 78, is the oldest coach in the tournament.

Coach Dick Advocaat named three goalkeepers for the Blue Wave: Eloy Room, Trevor Doornbusch, and Tyrick Bodak. Curaçao is participating in the World Cup for the very first time, one of four World Cup debutants in 2026. In Group E, they’ll face Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. The trio grew up entirely in the Netherlands, reflecting a roster that consists almost exclusively of players who were raised within the Dutch diaspora.

Room is 37 years old, was born in Nijmegen, and is the longest-serving player on Curaçao’s entire World Cup roster, tied with captain Leandro Bacuna at 71 international appearances each. He has spent his entire career in the Netherlands, with Vitesse serving as his main club for nearly a decade. From there, he moved to PSV, where he won the Dutch league title and the KNVB Cup in 2018. He then made the move to the MLS to join 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 American league—in January 2026, making him the first active Miami FC player to compete in a World Cup tournament during a World Cup season.

During the CONCACAF qualifiers, Room was in goal for all the decisive matches and recorded eleven shutouts on the road to the World Cup. What defines him is not spectacular goalkeeping, but his ability to keep the team together. Room is Curaçao’s most important figure in goal.

Doornbusch is 26 years old, was born in Haarlem, and has followed a path through the Dutch soccer youth 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 stints 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 decided 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 eight minutes in a 1–5 friendly loss to 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 stints with Jong PSV and Cambuur, he joined SC Telstar in 2024, helping the team earn promotion to the Eredivisie via the playoffs in the 2024–25 season. In his first Eredivisie season, 2025–26, he is the third-string goalkeeper behind Ronald Koeman Jr. and Joey Houweling and sees very little playing time. With five senior international appearances for Curaçao, he is the least experienced international goalkeeper in the trio. The World Cup is his first major tournament and a huge leap from the Dutch third division to the world stage of soccer.