Curaçao is the smallest nation in history to qualify for the World Cup, and the only one with a woman as head of its medical staff ⚽
156,000 people. That is all Curaçao has — fewer than many cities around the world. And with that, they reached the 2026 World Cup without losing a single match: seven wins, three draws, unbeaten. 
But there is one detail that makes this story even more extraordinary. Among the 48 teams in the tournament, Curaçao is the only one with a woman leading its medical staff.
Dr. Suzanne Huurman, born in Brazil, trained in the Netherlands, with stints at Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven — is the only head doctor at the World Cup. And when FIFA informed her, her reaction said it all: “I didn’t realize it at first, because for me it’s so normal to be the only woman in the room.” 
In the match against Germany, something else happened that also has no precedent: for the first time in 96 years of men’s World Cups, an entirely female medical team operated on the field. Sometimes, the smallest nations carry the biggest stories. 
