2.Trinidad & Tobago in 2006 (1.3 million people)
Population – 1.35 million
Qualified – 2006
Best performance – 2006 Group Stage (finished fourth in their group)
Memorable match – November 2005 World Cup Play Off: Bahrain 0-1 Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, inspired by their most famous player, Dwight Yorke, qualified for the 2006 World Cup. But their journey to get there was far from easy. During the qualifying campaign, they sat at the bottom of their group in the final round of qualifying with one point from three matches. However, Leo Beenhakker took over as the coach and transformed the team, which eventually finished fourth in the CONCACAF table and secured a playoff spot.
With roughly 1.35 million inhabitants, it will be very difficult for a smaller country to take their place at least until 2026 when the final tournament expands to 48 teams. Trinidad and Tobago achieved its first ever qualification in the preliminaries for the FIFA World Cup 2006. They started their adventure on German soil with a surprising 0-0 draw against Sweden, but they were not able to resist in front of England and Paraguay, losing both matches with the same score(0-2), so they are still in search not only of their first win but also for their first ever World Cup goal!