Curaçao versus Aruba

Curaçao versus Aruba

June 6, 2026

Today, the Curaçao Blue Wave plays its farewell match on the road to the 2026 World Cup against Aruba. Given the way football is nowadays, I do not assume that Curaçao will simply win this home game with ease. Aruba has also been making steady progress and has clearly improved over the past few years.

But that is not really what I want to talk about.

The two islands are far more alike than many people realize. We often pay more attention to the differences than to the similarities. About a week ago, Mariano returned from Aruba and described a number of striking observations during one of his livestreams. However, I will not quote him or my Aruban friends; I will simply express those observations in my own words.

Both islands are autonomous countries within the Kingdom. Both have moved away from the oil industry and evolved into mono-economies that depend heavily on tourism. Both have a large segment of the population—at least 30 percent—living below the poverty line. The cost of living is alarmingly high. The infrastructure in many neighborhoods and the condition of numerous roads also leave much to be desired.

Corruption is a major problem on both islands. The public interest is often pushed into the background. In Curaçao, we sometimes focus on the fact that, for example, old-age pensions (AOV) are higher in Aruba, but the cost of living there is also higher. And when we look at Sint Maarten and Bonaire, we see many of the same challenges recurring.

In short, we are all in the same boat.

If we truly want to solve these problems—especially for the people who experience their consequences every day—we will need to cooperate more, learn more from one another, and make greater use of each other’s experiences and best practices.

But for today, I hope Curaçao wins the match and starts its World Cup campaign with confidence.

Vamos Blue Wave!

Miguel Goede