WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — The president of the Curacao Football Federation, Gilbert Martina, said that the tiny Caribbean country's road to the World Cup has been a "divine journey" that began at the start of the century.

The "Blue Wave" created one of last year's most romantic sports stories when it qualified top of its group after a nerve-jangling 0-0 away draw with Jamaica in November in Kingston, thanks to an added-time penalty for the host being ruled out.

The result meant Curacao, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and lies just 60 kilometers off the Venezuela coast, became the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup finals.

The island nation, with an area of 444 square kilometers and just under 160,000 inhabitants, has around 4,000 registered soccer players, as baseball remains the number one sport.

"It has been a process, a journey that began in 2000, with a lot of effort, a lot of sacrifices, many lows, but also many highs, which culminated in qualification on Nov 18, when it was clearly visible that this was meant to be," says Martina, referring to the disallowed penalty.

"Qualification is not just a football story, it is a source of inspiration, of pride. It is an identity."

The feel-good factor was dampened in February, however, by the news that their veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat was stepping down to care for his sick daughter.

He has been replaced by another Dutch coach in Fred Rutten, former manager of FC Twente, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and Schalke 04, with Martina rejecting reports that Advocaat would be on hand to act as a consultant during the World Cup.

"Fred Rutten is the head coach and Dick is not an advisor to Fred," he told reporters.

"Two captains on a ship has never worked, and that will not work here. So it's Fred for us."

'Achieving the impossible'

Martina sees Curacao's qualification as "a divine journey", which involved a large slice of self-belief.

"We lack resources, infrastructure... we could endlessly list everything we don't have," says the man who doubles up as a motivational author.

"But there are two things we do not lack: spirit and mentality.

"Once we align our minds and our goals with something greater than ourselves, we can achieve an enormous amount.

"Everything is impossible until it is done. And only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible.

"The players play not only for themselves or for their families, but for the whole nation.

"They play based on purpose. Once you align your individual targets with a greater purpose, then the magic happens.

"You start being in service for a greater purpose, which will make things that seem to be impossible become possible.

"And that's what has happened with Curacao."

The reward for Curacao is a place in Group E, where it will face four-time winner Germany, African powerhouse Cote d'Ivoire and Ecuador, which finished second in South American qualifying behind only reigning world champion Argentina.

The quality of the opposition and the absence of the manager that got Curacao to the World Cup, however, doesn't appear to be a worry for Martina.

"If we can recapture the same energy and mindset as in the qualifying match against Jamaica, many things can happen," he says.

"The ambition is to qualify for the second round at least, and from there, everything is possible.

"But, first things first. Let's see how we can get a couple of points.

"I mean, with three to four points, you almost have one foot in the second round."

Lasting legacy

Martina, however, doesn't just want the Curacao to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

His aim now is also to create a lasting legacy for soccer in Curacao with an administration that is fit-for-purpose.

"We have a local saying: 'The fish starts rotting from the head'. In other words, if the federation's leadership is not at peace, not properly structured — if good governance is not in place — that will be reflected on the pitch.

"Our task is to ensure that we create a sustainable federation, one that has the means to invest in infrastructure, in governance and in youth development," he says.