Curacao vs St. Lucia

In the second of two closely contested encounters, Curacao faces Saint Lucia at Ergilio Hato Stadium for a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday morning.

Gervane Kastaneer and Juninho Bacuna each scored twice, leading La Familia Azul to a commanding 4-1 win over Saint Lucia in their last meeting during the CONCACAF Nations League in November. Curacao aims to keep their perfect record in the qualifiers intact.

In their first match of 2025, Curacao suffered a 2-0 loss to Kazakhstan in a friendly at Gloria Sports Arena on March 19. Despite this setback, Dick Advocaat’s squad had a stellar 2024, remaining unbeaten in seven of eight games across all competitions, with six victories and one draw. This strong performance secured first place in Group B of the CONCACAF Nations League, earning promotion to League A.

After an initial 2-1 loss to Saint Lucia in the Nations League on September 6, Curacao bounced back, winning four and drawing one of their next five group matches to top the standings with a nine-point lead.

Currently ranked 90th globally, La Familia Azul leads Group C in the World Cup qualifiers’ second round, tied on points with second-placed Haiti after securing six points from their first two matches. A hat-trick from veteran forward Rangelo Janga powered Curacao to a 4-1 rout of Barbados in their Group C opener on June 6, followed by a 2-0 victory over Aruba at Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium three days later.

Saint Lucia, meanwhile, also earned promotion to League A in the CONCACAF Nations League, finishing second in Group B despite dropping their final three group games. Early wins over Curacao, Grenada, and Saint Martin secured their nine-point tally, edging out third-placed Grenada by two points.

Saint Lucia’s last match was their 4-1 defeat to Curacao in November 2024. Head coach Stern John hopes to reverse that result and kick off 2025 with a strong performance to boost their World Cup qualifying campaign. In Group C, Saint Lucia fell 2-1 to Haiti in their opener on June 6 and then squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Aruba at Wildey Turf three days later.

Ranked 165th in the FIFA World Rankings, the Piton sit third in Group C with one point from their first two matches, ahead of last-placed Barbados, who have lost both games, and level with fourth-placed Aruba.