Netherlands Antilles national football team facts for kids
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Nickname(s) | De Antilopen | ||
Association | Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie |
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Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
Home stadium | Stadion Ergilio Hato | ||
FIFA code | ANT | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Highest | 118 (July 1995) | ||
Lowest | 188 (December 2003) | ||
Elo ranking | |||
Highest | 41 (March 1963) | ||
Lowest | 174 (October 2009, October 2010) | ||
First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Guatemala City, Guatemala; 4 March 1948) |
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Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Caracas, Venezuela; 15 January 1959) |
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Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 5 September 1962) ![]() ![]() (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 8 December 1973) |
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CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup |
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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.
Contents
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 |
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(since 2011) | 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Group stage |
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Quarter-final | ||
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Withdrew | ||
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(since 2010) | ||
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(since 2010) | ||
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n/a | ||
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n/a |
Who Coached the Team?
Many coaches led the Netherlands Antilles team over the years. Here are some of them:
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)
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 | |||||||||||||
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Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
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did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||||||
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did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | |||||||
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4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||
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CONCACAF Championship | |||||||||||||
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2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
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2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
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2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||
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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 | |||||||||||||
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Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
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Third place | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
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Fifth place | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 16 | Qualified automatically | ||||||
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did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||||||
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Third place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | Qualified automatically | ||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||
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Sixth place | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 19 | Qualified automatically | ||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
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4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
1985 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||
1989 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||
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Caribbean Cup | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | |||||||||||||
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did not enter | |||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |||||||
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did not enter | Caribbean Cup | ||||||||||||
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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.
CFU Caribbean Cup
The team also participated in the Caribbean Cup.
Olympic Games Football
The team also played in the Olympic Games football tournaments.
Olympic Games record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||
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Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
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did not enter | Declined participation | ||||||||||||
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First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | ||||||
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did not enter | Declined participation | ||||||||||||
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did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||||||
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did not enter | Declined participation | ||||||||||||
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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.
Central American and Caribbean Games Football
The team had great success in these games, winning two gold medals and three silver medals.
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 | ![]() |
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Total |
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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
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Antillas Neerlandesas para niños
- Bonaire national football team
- Curaçao national football team (1921–1958) – the team before the change of country name to Netherlands Antilles
- Curaçao national football team – the successor to the team
- Sint Maarten national football team
- Netherlands national football team
External links
- Netherlands Antilles at FIFA.com (archived)
ja:サッカーオランダ領アンティル代表