Why Curacao are called ‘CUW’ at World Cup despite not having a ‘W’ in their name

Curaçao made World Cup history with just 155,000 people

For Curaçao, the 2026 World Cup was about much more than the result on the pitch as the Caribbean nation made history by just being there.

Located in the southern Caribbean Sea, Curaçao is a constituent country within the Kingdom of Netherlands and only became an autonomous country within the kingdom in 2010. 

With a population of fewer than 200,000, few would have predicted that it would one day reach football’s biggest stage.

That changed on 18 November 2025, when Curaçao made history by securing qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing at the top of their qualifying group. 

This achievement also saw Curaçao set a new record, as, with a population of 155,826, it became the smallest nation or territory by both population and area to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup.

The country’s opening World Cup match also delivered a memorable experience for both the team and the viewers, even in defeat.

On 14 June, Livano Comenencia scored the first goal for Curaçao at a World Cup match against Germany. Although the game ended in a heavy 7-1 defeat, probably giving unpleasant flashbacks to Brazil, it still represented a significant milestone for the team and their supporters. 

You can’t blame their coach Dick Advocaat for getting emotional and crying before the match even started.

Why fans keep getting confused by FIFA country codes

However, alongside the pride and excitement, there was also some confusion among viewers over the “CUW” abbreviation, displayed on the score graphic during the match, which left many unsure about which nation was being represented at first glance. And, no, it wasn’t just Americans who were puzzled.

In fact, confusion over country abbreviations hasn’t been limited to Curaçao alone. Examples such as “SUI” being used for Switzerland and “MAR” for Morocco have prompted questions for some fans who were unfamiliar with the system.

In reality, FIFA country codes are based on long established international sporting conventions. These often derive from a country’s name in its own official language, or a widely recognized alternative form. 

This is why Switzerland appears as “SUI”, taken from the French “Suisse”, while Spain is listed as “ESP”, from the Spanish “España” and Morocco as “MAR”, from the French 'Maroc '.

In other cases, more familiar English-based abbreviations are used. Germany, for example, is shown as “GER” rather than a code derived from its native name “Deutschland”.

The ‘CUW’ abbreviation explained

Curaçao as CUW. Credit: Screenshot ITV.

Curaçao's “CUW” abbreviation also stamps from international standardisation rules set by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), which is responsible for assigning country and territory codes used across global systems.

When Curaçao gained its new constitutional status in 2010, it was assigned the ISO code “CW”. In this case, the logical two-letter combinations such as CU and CR were already in use by Cuba and Costa Rica respectively. 

Other obvious options are also taken, including CA for Canada, CC for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and CO for Colombia, meaning no straightforward two-letter code was available. 

However, things become slightly more complicated when it comes to broadcast scoreboards, which typically require three letter codes. 

The three-letter code is typically formed by taking the two-letter ISO code and adding an extra letter, which is why Curaçao uses “CUW” rather than “CUR”.