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Netherlands Antilles national football team facts for kids

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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
Shirt badge/Association crest
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. This football union included teams from Curaçao and Bonaire. The island of Aruba formed its own team in 1986.

The Netherlands Antilles team never made it to the FIFA World Cup. However, they did achieve third place in the CONCACAF championships twice. These were 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 and Changes

How the Team Started

Before 1958, the team was known as Curaçao. Their first international match was in 1934 against Suriname. Even though the area's name changed to "Netherlands Antilles" in 1948, the team kept the name Curaçao until the 1958 World Cup qualifiers.

Why the Team Dissolved

The Netherlands Antilles as a country officially split up 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 football team was still playing in a qualification tournament. They finished that tournament under the old country name. Today, Sint Maarten national football team and Bonaire national football team are part of CONCACAF. However, they are not members of FIFA. The Curaçao national football team took over the Netherlands Antilles' spot as a FIFA member.

New Teams After the Split

Both FIFA and CONCACAF see the Curaçaoan national team as the direct replacement for the Netherlands Antilles team. The teams from the other 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

Who Coached the Team?

Many coaches led the Netherlands Antilles team over the years. Here are some of them:

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


Tournament Records

The Netherlands Antilles team played in several major football tournaments. Here's a look at their performance.

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

The team never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They played in many qualification rounds.

FIFA World Cup record qualification record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao
Uruguay 1930 did not enter did not enter
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958 did not qualify 3 1 0 2 4 7
as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
Chile 1962 did not qualify 6 2 2 2 4 14
England 1966 4 1 2 1 2 3
Mexico 1970 4 1 0 3 3 9
Germany 1974 CONCACAF Championship
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 2 0 1 1 1 4
France 1998 2 0 1 1 1 2
South Korea Japan 2002 2 0 1 1 1 6
Germany 2006 4 1 0 3 4 8
South Africa 2010 4 2 1 1 3 1
Total – – – – – – – 31 8 8 15 23 54

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup

The team had its best results in the CONCACAF Championship. They finished third twice.

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Third place 6 3 0 3 10 8 2 2 0 0 4 1
Guatemala 1965 Fifth place 5 0 2 3 4 16 Qualified automatically
Honduras 1967 did not qualify 4 0 2 2 4 6
Costa Rica 1969 Third place 5 2 1 2 9 12 Qualified automatically
Trinidad and Tobago 1971 Withdrew Withdrew
Haiti 1973 Sixth place 5 0 2 3 4 19 Qualified automatically
Mexico 1977 did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 9
Honduras 1981 4 0 3 1 1 2
1985 2 0 1 1 0 4
1989 4 2 0 2 4 7
United States 1991 Caribbean Cup
United States Mexico 1993 did not enter
United States 1996 did not qualify
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002 did not enter
United States Mexico 2003 did not qualify 4 1 1 2 3 6
United States 2005 did not enter Caribbean Cup
United States 2007 did not qualify
United States 2009
United States 2011
Total Third Place 21 5 5 11 27 55 22 5 7 10 17 35

CCCF Championship

The team also competed in the CCCF Championship, which was a regional tournament.

CCCF Championship record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA
as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao
Costa Rica 1941 Third place 4 1 2 1 16 12
El Salvador 1943 did not enter
Costa Rica 1946
Guatemala 1948 Fourth place 8 2 2 4 14 16
Panama 1951 did not enter
Costa Rica 1953 Fourth place 6 2 2 2 17 9
Honduras 1955 Runners-up 6 4 0 2 11 7
Netherlands Antilles 1957 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 7 4
as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
Cuba 1960 Runners-up 4 2 2 0 9 7
Costa Rica 1961 First round 3 1 1 1 4 5
Total Runners-up 35 14 10 11 78 60

CFU Caribbean Cup

The team also participated in the Caribbean Cup.

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 did not qualify 4 1 1 2 1 5
Suriname 1979 did not enter did not enter
Puerto Rico 1981
French Guiana 1983 did not qualify Result Unknown
Barbados 1985 did not enter did not enter
Martinique 1988
Barbados 1989 Group stage 2 0 2 0 2 2 4 3 0 1 21 4
Trinidad and Tobago 1990 did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
Jamaica 1991 2 0 0 2 0 5
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 3 1 1 1 3 3
Jamaica 1993 did not enter did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1994
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 did not qualify 5 3 1 1 11 11
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 1 0 0 1 0 1
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 1 0 0 1 1 2
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 Group stage 3 0 0 3 2 9 3 2 1 0 6 4
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 4
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 did not enter did not enter
Barbados 2005
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 did not qualify 3 0 1 2 1 7
Jamaica 2008 5 1 1 3 5 11
Martinique 2010 3 0 1 2 5 7
Total Group stage 5 0 2 3 4 11 38 11 10 17 58 66

Olympic Games Football

The team also played in the Olympic Games football tournaments.

Olympic Games record Qualification record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao
Netherlands 1928 did not enter Declined participation
Germany 1936
United Kingdom 1948
Finland 1952 First round 1 0 0 1 1 2 —
Australia 1956 did not enter Declined participation
as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
Italy 1960 did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 6
Japan 1964 did not enter Declined participation
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain1992 to present Under-23 Tournament Under-23 Tournament
Total First round 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 3 6

Pan American Games Football

The team won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games.

Pan American Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao
Argentina 1951 did not enter
Mexico 1955 Bronze Medal 6 2 0 4 11 13
as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
Since United States 1959 did not enter
Total Bronze Medal 6 2 0 4 11 13

Central American and Caribbean Games Football

The team had great success in these games, winning two gold medals and three silver medals.

Central American and Caribbean Games record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
as Curaçao and Dependencies Territory of Curaçao
Cuba 1930 did not enter
El Salvador 1935
Panama 1938
Colombia 1946 Bronze Medal 6 3 2 1 25 10
Guatemala 1950 Gold Medal 6 4 1 1 20 6
Mexico 1954 did not enter
as Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
Venezuela 1959 Silver Medal 4 2 1 1 21 5
Jamaica 1962 Gold Medal 5 5 0 0 16 5
Puerto Rico 1966 Silver Medal 5 4 0 1 11 4
Panama 1970 Silver Medal * * * * * *
Dominican Republic 1974 Unknown
Colombia 1978 Group stage 5 0 0 5 3 16
Cuba 1982 Group stage 3 1 1 1 2 6
Dominican Republic 1986 Group stage 2 0 1 1 1 3
Since Mexico 1990 Under-23 Tournament
Total Gold Medal 36 19 6 11 99 55

Team Achievements

The Netherlands Antilles team earned several honors during its time.

Continental Awards

  • CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup:
    • Third place (2): 1963, 1969

Regional Awards

  • CFU Caribbean Cup:
    • Fourth place (1): 1989

Friendly Tournament Wins

  • 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
Competition 1 2 3 Total
World Cup 0 0 0 0
CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup 0 0 2 2
Confederations Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 2 2

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Antillas Neerlandesas para niños

External links

  • Netherlands Antilles at FIFA.com (archived)




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