FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with Gilbert Martina, the newly-elected President of the Curaçao Football Federation, in Miami, Florida, for talks centred on football development and the Caribbean island's remarkable qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Martina, who took office in April 2025, wasted no time in making clear where his priorities lie. "The ones that should take the credit for everything we do, everything we organise, are the players on the pitch and the fans coming to the stadium," he said. "It's not about the federation, it's not about board members, it's not about the President — we should create proper conditions for the players and the fans coming to the stadium."

Perfect qualifying run earns third-stage place

Curaçao have been one of the stories of the Concacaf qualifying campaign, winning all four of their matches in the second stage to advance to the third round. There, they face Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Bermuda in a group whose fixtures run between September and November 2025.

The stakes could not be higher for the small Caribbean nation. Group winners earn direct berths at the FIFA World Cup 2026, while runners-up enter the playoff tournament for another shot at the finals. With the expanded 48-team format providing more routes to qualification than ever before, Curaçao are chasing a first-ever World Cup appearance.

Infantino made clear he is following their progress closely. "The men's national team has been performing very well in the FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers and I would like to visit one of their games when they play their next round later this year," he said.

FIFA backs Martina's vision

The FIFA President expressed his support for the new federation leadership and its ambitions. "I had a fruitful meeting with the newly elected President of the Curaçao Football Federation, Gilbert Martina, about the development and structure of football in his nation," Infantino said. "FIFA is proud to create opportunities for everyone to realise their dreams of playing on a global stage and we will continue supporting President Martina and his team through FIFA's development programmes."

For Martina, the meeting underlined a straightforward philosophy: a federation exists to serve those who play and watch the game, not the other way around.