Dutch Caribbean island Curacao has become the smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup after salvaging a 0-0 draw with Jamaica on the final day of CONCACAF qualifying.
The country went undefeated throughout their qualification campaign to top Group B with 12 points, joining Panama and Haiti in booking their World Cup ticket.
Curacao, whose squad is mostly composed of Netherlands-born descendants of islanders, scraped through their meeting with Jamaica despite missing head coach Dick Advocaat for the fixture.
The 78-year-old former Rangers and Sunderland boss missed the match due to personal reasons.
Jamaica were awarded a last-gasp penalty four minutes into stoppage time in Kingston only for the referee to change his decision after consulting VAR.
Haiti beat Nicaragua 2-0 in Curacao, where they have been forced to play their home fixtures because of the strife in their country, to finish top of Group C, while Panama's 3-0 home win over El Salvador ensured they ended up as winners of Group A.
Curacao, which is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, carries a land mass of 444 square kilometres and boasts a population of less than 157,000.
Iceland previously held the record as the smallest country to reach the World Cup when - under the guidance of current Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson - they qualified for the tournament in Russia in 2018.
McClaren, who took over as Jamaica boss in July 2024, reacted by falling on his sword, saying at a press conference: "It is the responsibility of the leader, myself, to step forward, take accountability and make decisions in the best interests of the team for them to go forward.
"After deep reflection and an honest assessment of where we are and where we need to go, I've decided to step down as the head coach of the Jamaican national team.
"Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is to recognise when a fresh voice, new energy and a different perspective is required."
