Curaçao convincingly defeated Aruba and concluded its home send-off toward the World Cup with a victory
The Curaçao national football team defeated Aruba 4:0 in an international friendly match played on June 6, 2026, at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, thereby ending its final home test before leaving for the closing phase of preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a convincing performance. According to FOX Sports data, the match was goalless at halftime, and the home team put all four balls into the net in the second half. In doing so, Curaçao confirmed its status as the clear favorite in the island encounter and achieved, in front of its supporters, a result that fits into the broader context of the most important period in the history of the national team there.
The match also carried symbolic weight because the Curaçaose Voetbal Federatie, that is, the Curaçao Football Federation, announced it as a special farewell match before the historic journey to the World Cup. According to the federation’s official announcement, the duel with Aruba was conceived as the final home step before appearing on football’s greatest stage. Such a framework further increased the importance of the result, but also of the overall impression Curaçao left after the break, when it turned patient control of the match into a clear lead on the scoreboard.
Four goals after the break decided the match in Willemstad
The first half ended without goals, as confirmed by the published match score records, but Curaçao used greater intensity, squad depth and better finishing in the second half. According to the report by the Deporte Awe portal, Joshua Brenet opened the scoring in the 54th minute, thereby removing the pressure on the home national team that had naturally built up after the first 45 minutes without a goal. The goal changed the rhythm of the match because Aruba, after conceding, had to leave more space, while Curaçao could build attacks more calmly and use individual quality in the final third of the pitch.
The second goal arrived in the 68th minute, when Jeremy Antonisse increased the lead to 2:0. That moment, according to the same report, practically steered the match toward a safe victory for the hosts because Aruba was not finding enough solutions to get back into the contest. Curaçao continued creating danger after that as well, and Deporte Awe states that Leandro Bacuna hit the post in the 75th minute. Although that attempt did not turn into a goal, it further showed that the home team was not protecting its advantage passively, but continued to seek a convincing finish to the match.
The third goal was scored by Livano Comenencia in the 83rd minute, after he had been shown a yellow card a few minutes earlier. The final 4:0 was set by Juninho Bacuna in stoppage time, in the 90+1st minute, with which Curaçao concluded an evening in which all the concrete scoring came in the second half. According to the available data, the match did not bring an Aruba goal, so the home national team, along with four goals scored, also kept a clean sheet, which is an important element for the coaching staff ahead of encounters with noticeably stronger opponents at the World Cup.
A friendly match with a clear preparatory purpose
Although the duel with Aruba was a friendly, its function was much broader than the result itself. According to the official announcement of the Curaçao Football Federation, the match was organized as a send-off for the national team before the world showpiece, and the opponent from the Caribbean enabled the hosts to play the match in familiar surroundings, in front of their own crowd and without the logistical pressure of a long journey. In such circumstances, the coaching staff could check the form of part of the players, distribute minutes and maintain competitive rhythm immediately before leaving for the United States of America.
According to Deporte Awe’s report, Curaçao started the match with Trevor Doornbusch in goal, while the starting lineup also included Shurandy Sambo, captain Juriën Gaari, Roshon van Eijma, Godfried Roemeratoe, Kenji Gorré, Ar’jany Martha, Jearl Margaritha, Brandley Kuwas, Gervane Kastaneer and Joshua Brenet. Such a lineup shows that the match also had a selection dimension because some well-known national-team names were in contention for minutes, while certain players received an opportunity to confirm their place in the plans for the following days. Deporte Awe also states that Tyrese Noslin replaced Brenet, the scorer of the first goal, in the 62nd minute.
For Curaçao, it was important that the victory did not rely only on initial pressure, but on the ability to take over the match in the second half. This is especially relevant in the preparatory phase because national teams before a major competition often seek a balance between preserving freshness, drilling automatisms and checking the reaction after a scoreless first half. In that sense, 4:0 against Aruba is not only a statistically convincing result, but also a signal that the team managed to turn control into goals after the initial plan did not immediately bring an advantage.
From qualifying surprise to a group with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast
This victory comes at a moment when Curaçao has already achieved historic success by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. According to FIFA, the national team secured its place at the tournament after a dramatic goalless draw against Jamaica in Kingston, thereby completing its qualifying campaign unbeaten in ten matches. In its overview, FIFA highlights that Curaçao defeated Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia and Haiti in the second round of qualifying and scored 15 goals in the process. Such a qualifying path gave additional weight to the friendly encounter with Aruba, a national team that Curaçao had already beaten in an earlier phase of its route toward the World Cup.
Concacaf stated in its official overview of the qualifying path that Curaçao won one of the three direct tickets from the final phase of qualifying and joined Haiti and Panama as representatives of the region alongside hosts the United States of America, Mexico and Canada. According to the same source, the team led by Dutch expert Dick Advocaat finished the second round with a maximum 12 points and a 4-0-0 record. Such data explain why special interest has formed around the national team: it is a team that, from outside the usual circle of regional favorites, used the format and continuity of results to secure historic qualification.
According to FIFA’s schedule, Curaçao will play at the World Cup in Group E, which includes Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast. The first match at the tournament is scheduled against Germany on June 14 in Houston, then comes the encounter with Ecuador in Kansas City, while the group finale brings a match against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia. This means that the victory over Aruba was the last match in a home atmosphere before significantly more demanding duels against national teams coming from European, South American and African football environments.
Advocaat and the team entered the final week of preparations
Curaçao enters the final stage of preparations with a head coach who has great international experience. FIFA stated in its publication of the player list for the World Cup that Dick Advocaat selected 26 players for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. In that context, the match against Aruba was an opportunity for part of the squad to be further activated in competitive conditions, but also to check the basic balance between defense, midfield and attack before traveling. A clean sheet and four goals in the second half give the coaching staff positive material for analysis, although it is clear that the level of opponents at the World Cup will not be comparable with this friendly match.
It is especially important that Curaçao reached victory with several scorers. Brenet, Antonisse, Comenencia and Juninho Bacuna distributed the goals through different phases of the second half, which suggests that the danger did not come from only one source. For a national team that will probably have to use every opportunity at the World Cup in transition, set pieces and rare periods of longer possession, such breadth can be useful. Still, the friendly match against Aruba cannot be a measure for conclusions about the realistic reach in Group E, but primarily an indicator of the team’s current seriousness and concentration.
That is precisely why the result should be viewed in the proper proportion. Curaçao dominated and won convincingly, but the more important outcome for the coaching staff may be the way the team reacted after a goalless halftime. Instead of nervousness and forcing solutions, the hosts found a goal in the second half, then built the advantage and maintained control until the end. Such a development fits the logic of preparatory matches: the result is important, but it is even more important to get clear answers about physical condition, discipline and the ability to carry out the plan after the opponent’s initial resistance.
Aruba did not withstand the pressure in the second half
Aruba managed to keep the initial 0:0 in the first half, but after the break it found it increasingly difficult to cope with the pressure from the home national team. According to the FOX Sports score record, all four goals came in the second half, which shows that the key difference emerged in the final 45 minutes. After Brenet’s goal, Aruba had to change its approach, and each subsequent goal further narrowed the space for a comeback. In such circumstances, Curaçao could use greater individual quality and better structure, while Aruba remained without a concrete answer in front of the opponent’s goal.
For Aruba, the match nevertheless had competitive value because it provided a test against a national team that is currently at the center of the regional stage because of its qualification for the World Cup. Such matches often serve as a measure of the difference between national teams that are in different stages of development. Aruba managed in Willemstad to delay a goal until the 54th minute, but did not maintain stability after Curaçao first broke through the defense. The final 4:0 clearly shows that the hosts had more strength, solutions and confidence in the closing stages.
On the other hand, for Curaçao this was also a match of emotional relief. After months in which qualification for the World Cup had become a matter of national importance, the home farewell carried the pressure of expectations. According to FFK’s official communication, the match was meant to bring the island together in support of the national team before the journey. A victory with four goals and none conceded allowed that send-off to remain in a winning tone, without additional questions about form or concentration before the trip toward the USA.
The American part of preparations follows, and the first world test against Germany
According to Deporte Awe’s report, the Curaçao national team was expected after the match to continue preparations in the USA, with arrival in West Palm Beach on June 8 and training sessions at the FAU Athletics complex in Boca Raton from June 9 to 13. The same source also states a planned open, joint activity with supporters on June 11 in Boca Raton. That part of the schedule shows that the final preparations will not take place only through closed training sessions, but also through maintaining a connection with the fan base that is following the national team’s historic appearance.
The first test at the World Cup will be significantly more demanding than the match with Aruba. According to FIFA, Curaçao opens the tournament against Germany in Houston, and then Ecuador and Ivory Coast await. Each of those opponents brings a different profile of challenge: Germany international experience and squad depth, Ecuador high intensity and physical strength, and Ivory Coast the athletic and technical qualities of African football. Curaçao will, according to everything it showed in qualifying, try to build its performance on organization, discipline and a quick move forward.
The victory against Aruba therefore will not by itself change assessments of the balance of power in Group E, but it gives Curaçao an important final boost. In the friendly duel in Willemstad, the national team got what it was looking for: a victory, goals from several players, a clean sheet and a positive home send-off. After historic qualifying, the match at the Ergilio Hato Stadium served as a transition between the celebration of qualification and the serious competitive challenge that begins on June 14. For Dick Advocaat’s team, the hardest part of the journey now follows, but it enters it after a convincing victory that confirmed that the final home appearance was completed without a setback in the result.
Sources:
- Deporte Awe – report from the Curaçao – Aruba match, scorers, goal minutes, starting lineup and plan for the continuation of preparations (link)
- FOX Sports – official score record of the Curaçao – Aruba match and the score movement by halves (link)
- Curaçaose Voetbal Federatie / FFK – official announcement of the farewell match Curaçao – Aruba before departure for the World Cup (link)
- FIFA – Curaçao’s schedule in Group E and official publication of the player list for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – overview of Curaçao’s historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup and qualifying context (link)
- Concacaf – official overview of Curaçao’s path toward the 2026 World Cup and qualifying results in the region (link)