Curacao’s World Cup harmony built on shared hotel rooms

Curacao share – Curacao’s first World Cup has been shaped off the pitch by a rare hotel policy: players can share rooms with partners or family, with team doctor Suzanne Huurman backing intimacy as emotional support. The approach comes as Curacao has a point from two games—an

Florida has become a different kind of World Cup battlefield for Curacao. While the Caribbean side has struggled to find goals, their camp is living by a more intimate rhythm—one that would feel almost taboo in many national team hotels.

Dutch coach Dick Advocaat has allowed Curacao players to stay with their partners in the team hotel in Florida. a choice that breaks with how tournaments are usually managed. In most cases. team hotels are treated like sealed zones for players and staff. while families stay elsewhere to reduce distractions.

England’s tournament history is often used as a warning. After chaos in Baden-Baden in 2006—when the WAGs enjoyed wild nights out and dominated the headlines—families were kept away from the England team hotel. Four years later in South Africa, Fabio Capello limited players’ access to partners.

Curacao’s setup is different again. England may be able to see their families during the tournament now, but there are no overnight stays. Curacao, meanwhile, has made the overnight aspect part of the plan.

Team doctor Suzanne Huurman—described as the only female doctor at the World Cup—said players can share living quarters with a roommate or their families. She said sex and family time have helped Curacao settle into life away from home, and that intimacy is recommended for emotional support.

Huurman also outlined the practical side: players can stay with their teammates in the same room. and when there are children. the family gets an additional room. She called it “quite unique in national team football. ” adding that Curacao is a small country with “cheerful. warm and family-oriented people. ” something she said reminds her of Brazil.

Her view was direct. “Yes, I believe sex helps,” she said, framing it as emotional rather than a direct physiological effect. “In such a long tournament, having the family around reduces homesickness a little and brings tranquillity.”

She pointed to money and stress as part of the reasoning behind the federation’s choice. Many players. she said. do not play at the very highest levels of world football. meaning families often cannot afford to travel and stay for weeks in the United States on their own. Huurman said the federation decided to assume that cost so players could have partners and children nearby. noting that some families would probably be worried or stressed.

The policy sits alongside Curacao’s early results. They have taken one point from their opening two matches: a 0-0 draw with Ecuador. followed by a bruising 7-1 defeat to Germany. For an island with a comparable population to Oxford—the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup—being at the tournament is success already. The bigger question now is how long that off-pitch calm can hold when the football gets harder.

Curacao World Cup Dick Advocaat Suzanne Huurman England WAGs 2006 Baden-Baden Fabio Capello shared hotel rooms family stays emotional support Ecuador 0-0 Germany 7-1