Curacao will have a new head coach in charge for their World Cup warm-up friendly against Scotland on 30 May after Dick Advocaat stood down for personal reasons. The former Rangers manager had led the Caribbean island's team to the finals for the first time but will be replaced with fellow Dutchman Fred Rutten. At 78, Advocaat would have become the oldest coach in World Cup finals history. He had described leading the island with a population of around 150,000 to the World Cup as the "craziest thing" he had achieved in a managerial career spanning nearly four decades. But Dutch media reported on Monday that he has stood down because of his daughter's health.

Source: BBC February 23, 2026 15:31 UTC