Small but Mighty: Top 10 Least Populous Nations to Qualify for the FIFA World Cup

For football powerhouses, qualifying for the World Cup is almost a given. For tiny nations, it’s one of the sport’s greatest feats. Topping the list is Curaçao, which secured its 2026 spot with just 185,000 people. It overtakes Iceland, which debuted in Russia 2018 with about 340,000 residents. Cape Verde follows, joining the 2026 finals with a population of 528,000. Historical qualifiers include Paraguay (860,000 in 1930), Trinidad and Tobago (1.3 million in 2006), Northern Ireland (1.4 million), Kuwait (1.5 million), and three nations at roughly 1.9 million: Slovenia (2002), Uruguay (1930 champions) and the United Arab Emirates (1990). These stories prove that talent and determination can outshine population size.

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