"That is home home." That's how Tahith Chong explained his decision to represent Curaçao over the Netherlands, and when you look at his squad's make-up, you start to understand just how much that choice meant.
Chong is the only player in Curaçao's 26-man World Cup roster who was actually born in the country they represent. Every other player — including veteran goalkeeper Eloy Room and captain Leandro Bacuna — was born in the Netherlands. It's the most extreme case among the 48 teams at this tournament. Eight squads are made up entirely of home-born players. Curaçao sits at the other end of that spectrum, alone.
From Willemstad to Old Trafford — and back
Chong was born in Willemstad at the turn of the millennium, left the island at eight, and was in Feyenoord's academy by ten. By fourteen, Premier League clubs were already tracking him. He joined Manchester United in 2016, made his top-flight debut in March 2019 — one minute off the bench in a 3-2 win over Southampton — and scored his first league goal against Liverpool during a loan spell at Luton.
He spent years representing the Netherlands at every youth level from Under-15 to Under-21. Then in June 2021, he made his call.
The senior debut came under Dick Advocaat in a CONCACAF qualifier against Trinidad in September 2025. The following game against Bermuda he scored twice and set up the winner for Tyrese Noslin. A meniscus tear wiped out the rest of his qualifying campaign, but he came through all of Curaçao's pre-tournament friendlies fit and available.
Curaçao's World Cup debut starts with Germany
This is Curaçao's first-ever World Cup, one of four debutants at this edition, and their opening match couldn't be much tougher — four-time world champions Germany. Chong is expected to feature. Back in the Caribbean, his family will be watching, including his 94-year-old grandmother.
For a team built almost entirely on the Dutch diaspora, Chong is the one player who gives this squad a genuinely local heartbeat. Whether that translates against Germany is another question entirely.
