Coach of World Cup team that will play in Kansas City has stepped down
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dick Advocaat resigned to care for his daughter after Curaçao World Cup qualification.
- Curaçao, population under 200,000, will face Ecuador June 20 at Arrowhead Stadium.
- Fred Rutten, former Schalke and PSV coach, will replace Advocaat as national coach.
Curaçao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, but the man who led the team to that piece of soccer history won’t coach the team in the tournament.
The Curaçao Football Federation announced Monday that Dick Advocaat had stepped down as coach so he can focus on his daughter who has health issues.
“I’ve always said that family comes before football,” Advocaat said in news release. “This is therefore a natural decision. But that doesn’t change the fact that I will miss Curaçao, the people there, and my colleagues very much.
“I consider qualifying the smallest country in the world for the World Cup one of the highlights of my career. I’m proud of my players, staff, and the board members who believed in us.”
Curaçao, which will play Ecuador on June 20 at Arrowhead Stadium, has a population of less than 200,000. The team’s nickname is The Blue Wave.
When Curaçao booked its spot in the World Cup by tying Jamaica last November, Advocaat was not on the sideline for personal reasons, the BBC reported.
Fred Rutten was named the team’s new coach. He previously coached Schalke in the German Bundesliga and PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
“His decision can only be respected. Dick made history with the national football team,” Gilbert Martina, chairman of the Curaçao Football Federation, said in the news release. “Curacao will always be grateful to Dick.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 10:58 AM.
