WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao begins a new Concacaf Nations League campaign tonight with a challenging away match against Costa Rica, as the Blue Wave starts its push toward qualification for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The match will be played at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá in San Juan de Tibás, Costa Rica, with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 p.m. Curaçao time.
Supporters will be able to follow the match live through the Concacaf Go streaming platform and the federation’s official YouTube channel.
Curaçao competes in Group A of League A alongside Costa Rica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The competition carries added importance this season because the Nations League provides the route toward qualification for the 2027 Gold Cup. The two highest-ranked countries in the group will advance directly to the Nations League quarterfinals in November.
For Curaçao, tonight’s encounter also marks the beginning of a new competitive cycle following the country’s historic participation in the FIFA World Cup.
Head coach Dick Advocaat recently extended his contract with Curaçao and has identified qualification for the Gold Cup as the Blue Wave’s next major objective. The Dutch coach has cautioned, however, that expectations have increased following Curaçao’s World Cup performance and that progressing through the Nations League will not be easy.
The competition is also reaching a milestone this week. The match between the Cayman Islands and Dominica will become the 500th game played in Concacaf Nations League history.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Aruba has already made a winning start to its campaign. The Aruban national team defeated Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 in League C on Wednesday evening, scoring the decisive goal deep into stoppage time.
Curaçao will now attempt to follow its neighboring island with a positive result, although it faces significantly stronger opposition in Costa Rica in what promises to be an important opening test for the Blue Wave.