A 90-minute battle against Jamaica is all that separates the Caribbean island nation of Curacao from making history and competing against the world's best football nations.
With a population of roughly 150,000, just shy of the population of Cairns, Curacao has made a statement throughout the qualifying stages, sitting first in their World Cup qualifying group with just one match to go.
A 7-0 win over Bermuda cemented their place atop the group with 11 points, while Jamaica sits second with 10. A win or a draw would see direct qualification secured.
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Curacao is hopeful that historic qualification will happen on Wednesday, with a loss meaning that Jamaica will leapfrog them and steal the ticket to the World Cup.
If that match ends in a draw or victory for Curacao, the nation will surpass Iceland to become the smallest ever country by population to qualify for the World Cup.
Cape Verde made history just a month ago when they secured direct qualification for next year's tournament, being the second-smallest country by population to qualify.
It is a remarkable achievement for Curacao to be in frame for World Cup qualification, given that ten years ago they were 150th on the world rankings. Now, they are 82nd.
Located just off the coast of Venezuela and a constituent country of the Netherlands, Curacao is known for its vibrant coral reefs and beaches.
The island is so small that many football fans would be unfamiliar with an individual who was born in the nation, aside from any member of the current national team.
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In fact, the country is not even represented at the Olympic Games as it is not a sovereign nation. Therefore, its athletes have to compete as Independent Olympic athletes or represent the Netherlands.
But one man who would be familiar to some Australian fans is the team's head coach, who was previously involved with the Socceroos over 15 years ago.
Dick Advocaat, head coach of Curacao, backflipped on his contract to become the next Socceroos coach in 2007 to remain at club level with Zenit St Petersburg in Russia.
That contract saga unfolded just two months out from the first match of the World Cup qualifiers at the time, leaving Australia without a head coach.
At the time, Advocaat declared that he was simply offered a deal too good to turn down with the Russian team, which ultimately lead to his exit for the Socceroos.
Eventually, Dutch manager Pim Verbeek took over the Socceroos.
Advocaat, 78, was appointed head coach of the Curacao national team last January, but will not be present during Wednesday's match to see the team potentially make history.
As per a statement from the team, Advocaat has been forced to leave the team to return home to the Netherlands due to family reasons.
"It's bad news for us, but we understand that family is always a priority," Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room told Dutch television network NOS.
"The coach doesn't have to worry, we will give everything against Jamaica."
Jamaica has faced Curacao four times since their first meeting in 2017.
The two teams last faced each other in October this year, where Curacao achieved a 2-0 victory at home.
Curacao will look to secure World Cup qualification on Wednesday, with the match kicking off at 11am AEDT.
See which nations have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup below.
CONCACAF [North / Central America and the Caribbean]
Canada, Mexico and United States [host nations].
UEFA [Europe]
England, France and Croatia.
CONMEBOL [South America]
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.
CAF [Africa]
Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
AFC [Asia]
Japan, Australia, Iran, Jordan, Korea Republic, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
OFC [Oceania]
New Zealand.
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