Musicians in action.
WILLEMSTAD--The band “Sleeves” released an official song celebrating the historic qualification of Curaçao’s national football team for the 2026 World Cup. “Goals in Paradise” was created to honour the achievement of the “Blue Wave” after Curaçao became the smallest country ever to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
According to the band, the song was specifically designed to capture the national pride and excitement surrounding the historic moment. The track is performed in three languages – Papiamentu, Dutch and English – reflecting the multicultural identity of Curaçao.
Composer Henk Grooten and singer Eric Jan van Leeuwen wrote the piece to commemorate the road to the tournament and the island’s growing international visibility through football. The song has been released on Spotify and YouTube.
The band hopes the track will help further promote Curaçao and the national team internationally in the lead-up to the World Cup next summer. The release comes during a period of enormous national enthusiasm surrounding Curaçao’s upcoming debut on football’s biggest global stage.
