Overview
- Dick Advocaat, 78, stepped down with immediate effect to focus on his daughter's health, ending his bid to coach at the 2026 finals.
- The Curaçao federation confirmed Fred Rutten as head coach, with the former PSV and Schalke manager pledging to continue Advocaat’s work.
- ESPN reports that assistant Cor Pot and team doctor Casper van Eyck have also left their roles, while the rest of the staff remain.
- Curaçao will make their World Cup debut as the smallest-ever qualifiers by population, at roughly 156,000 residents.
- Group E fixtures are Germany on June 14 in Houston, Ecuador on June 20 in Kansas City, and Ivory Coast on June 25 in Philadelphia, with warm-ups set for China on March 27 in Sydney, Australia on March 31 in Melbourne, and Scotland on May 30 in Glasgow.