Netherlands Antilles national football team Facts for Kids

This page is about the Netherlands Antilles men's national football team (1958–2010). For the national team prior to 1958, see Territory of Curaçao national football team. For the Curaçao national team established in 2011, see Curaçao national football team. For the women's team, see Netherlands Antilles women's national football team.

Quick facts for kids
Netherlands Antilles

to 1958–2010

Nickname(s)

De Antilopen

Association

Nederlands Antilliaanse
Voetbal Unie

Confederation

CONCACAF (North America)

Home stadium

Stadion Ergilio Hato

FIFA code

ANT

First colours

Second colours

FIFA ranking

Highest

118 (July 1995)

Lowest

188 (December 2003)

Elo ranking

Highest

41 (March 1963)

Lowest

174 (October 2009, October 2010)

First international

Netherlands Antilles 3–1 Panama

(Guatemala City, Guatemala; 4 March 1948)

Biggest win

Netherlands Antilles 15–0 Puerto Rico

(Caracas, Venezuela; 15 January 1959)

Biggest defeat

Netherlands 8–0 Netherlands Antilles

(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 5 September 1962)

Mexico 8–0 Netherlands Antilles

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 8 December 1973)

CONCACAF Championship
& Gold Cup

Appearances

4 (first in 1963)

Best result

Third place, 1963, 1969

The Netherlands Antilles national football team was the official football team for the former Netherlands Antilles. This team played from 1958 until 2010. It was managed by the Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie (NAVU).

The NAVU included players from Curaçao and Bonaire. In 1986, Aruba became separate and formed its own team.

The Netherlands Antilles team never made it to the FIFA World Cup. However, they did achieve third place in the CONCACAF championships twice. These wins happened in 1963 and 1969. In the 1963 tournament, they were even considered "unofficial football world champions" for a few days! This happened after they beat Mexico, before losing to Costa Rica.

Team History
End of the Country and Team
New Teams Formed
Coaches of the Team
Team Achievements
See also

Team History

Before 1958, the team played under the name Curaçao. Their very first international match was in 1934 against Suriname. Suriname was also part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at that time.

Even though the area's name changed to "Netherlands Antilles" in 1948, the football team kept using the name Curaçao. They used it until the qualifications for the 1958 World Championships.

End of the Country and Team

The Netherlands Antilles as a country officially ended on October 10, 2010. The five islands that made up the country got new roles within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Two new countries were formed: Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The other three islands, Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, became special municipalities of the Netherlands.

When the country dissolved, the team was about to play in a qualifying tournament. This was for the 2010 Caribbean Championship. They ended up playing under the old country name.

New Teams Formed

After the Netherlands Antilles dissolved, new football teams were formed. The Sint Maarten national football team and Bonaire national football team are now members of CONCACAF. However, they are not members of FIFA.

The Curaçao national football team took the place of the Netherlands Antilles as a FIFA member. Both FIFA and CONCACAF see the Curaçao team as the direct and only team that continues the legacy of the Netherlands Antilles national football team. Other teams from the islands are considered completely new members.

Nation	FIFA Active	International tournament(s)	Round
Curaçao 2011-present	(since 2011)	2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Group stage
		2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Quarter-final
		2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Withdrew
Sint Maarten 2010-present	(since 2010)
Bonaire 2010-present	(since 2010)
Sint Eustatius	n/a
Saba	n/a

Coaches of the Team

Many different coaches led the Netherlands Antilles football team over the years. Caretaker managers, who filled in temporarily, are shown in italics.

Pedro Celestino Dacunha (1957–65)
Wilhelm Canword (1973)
Jan Zwartkruis (1978–81)
Rob Groener (1983–85)
Wilhelm Canword (1988)
Jan Zwartkruis (1992–94)
Etienne Siliee (1996)
Henry Caldera (2000–02)
Pim Verbeek (2003–05)
Etienne Siliee (2005–07)
Leen Looyen (2007–09)
Remko Bicentini (2009–10)
Henry Caldera (2010)

Team Achievements

The Netherlands Antilles football team had some notable achievements in regional tournaments.

Major Competitions

Continental Championships

CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup:
- Third place (2): The team finished third twice, in 1963 and 1969.

Regional Competitions

CFU Caribbean Cup:
- Fourth place (1): They reached fourth place in the 1989 tournament.

Friendly Tournaments

The team also won a few friendly tournaments:

Phillip Seaga Cup:
- Winners (1): 1963
Inter Expo Cup / Chippie Polar Cup:
- Winners (1): 2004
- Runners-up (2): 2006, 2008
- Fourth place (1): 2005
Parbo Bier Cup:
- Winners (1): 2004