Aruba national football team

The Aruba national football team (Dutch: Arubaans voetbalelftal; Papiamento: Seleccion Arubano di futbol) is the national team of Aruba. It was founded in 1932 and is affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF and FIFA (since 1988) and is controlled by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond.

Aruba
AssociationArubaanse Voetbal Bond
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachMarvic Bermúdez
CaptainFernando Lewis
Most capsEric Abdul (32)
Top scorerRovien Ostiana (7)
Home stadiumTrinidad Stadium
FIFA codeARU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 195 Steady (28 November 2024)[1]
Highest112 (November 2015)
Lowest205 (April 2021)
First international
Aruba 0–4 Curaçao 
(Aruba; 6 April 1924)[2]
As FIFA member
 Trinidad and Tobago 7–0 Aruba 
(Netherlands Antilles; 31 March 1989)[3]
Biggest win
Aruba 8–1 Suriname Netherlands
(Surinam; 6 June 1946)
 Aruba 7–0 British Virgin Islands 
(Oranjestad, Aruba; 1 June 2014)
Biggest defeat
 Trinidad and Tobago 11–0 Aruba 
(Arima, Trinidad and Tobago; 23 April 1989)

The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

History

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Between 1924 and 1933, Aruba only played against Curaçao, although these matches are not considered official.[5] In the 1950s these matches were used to select the best players for the Netherlands Antilles team. Aruban players like Jani Brokke played for the Netherlands Antilles at the 1952 Olympic Games.[6] Under the flag of the Curaçao Football Association (C.V.B.), they won gold with the Netherlands Antilles team at the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games and participated in the 1953 CCCF Championship.[7]

In the 1950s the A.V.B. organised friendly matches and mini tournaments on the island. Examples are the 1952 match between Aruba and football club Botafogo (3-1)[8] and the 1953 series between Aruba, Surinam, British Guiana and professional club La Salle F.C. from Venezuela.[9] Aruba participated in its first tournament at the 1955 CCCF Championship, where they finished in 5th place. In 1958, A.V.B. and C.V.B. merged into the Netherlands Antillean Football Union. Aruba took part in the Netherlands Antilles national football team until their secession in 1986.

Following its split from the Netherlands Antilles, the Aruba Football Federation was affiliated in 1988 with CONCACAF and FIFA. Aruba entered qualifying for the 1989 Caribbean Cup, and in its first group match it suffered the worst defeat in its history, at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago, which crushed them 11–0. They played their first World Cup qualifying match against the Dominican Republic as part of the 1998 World Cup qualifying. Aruba has participated in all the qualifying tournaments for the World Cup since, without being able to get past the first qualifying round.

Aruba has also yet to qualify for the Caribbean Cup. However, they showed some progress in the preliminary round of the 2014 Caribbean Cup by getting two wins against Turks and Caicos (1–0) and British Virgin Islands (7–0), the latter being the biggest victory in its history. These results allowed them to reach 120th place in the FIFA World Ranking for the month of June 2014, their best ranking to date. Following these victories, Aruba lost 2–0 against French Guiana and were eliminated.

Aruba began their 2018 World Cup qualification in the second round against Barbados, losing 2–0 at home and 1–0 away, however FIFA ruled that Barbados had fielded an ineligible player, giving Aruba a 3–0 second leg victory and advancing them to the third round. Despite that, in the next round they were defeated again, this time by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines who won 3–2 on aggregate. Aruba failed to progress in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, finishing 4th in the first round.

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

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22 March Friendly Dominican Republic   2–0   Aruba Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
20:00 UTC−4 Stadium: Estadio Cibao FC
8 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Aruba   0–2   Curaçao Oranjestad, Aruba
21:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Complejo Deportivo Guillermo Prospero Trinidad
Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico)
11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Saint Lucia   2–2   Aruba Wildey, Barbados
15:00 UTC−4
Report (FIFA)
Report (CONCACAF)
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Attendance: 42
Referee: Selvin Brown (Honduras)
11 October 2024 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League Aruba   1–3   Haiti Oranjestad, Aruba
20:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Complejo Deportivo Guillermo Prospero Trinidad
Attendance: 1,011
Referee: Kwinsi Williams
14 October 2024 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League Haiti   5-3   Aruba Oranjestad, Aruba
19:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Complejo Deportivo Guillermo Prospero Trinidad
Attendance: 837
Referee: David Gómez
15 November 2024 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League Puerto Rico   v   Aruba Haiti
Stadium: TBD
18 November 2024 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League Aruba   v   Sint Maarten Haiti
Stadium: TBD

2025

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Coaching history

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Players

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Current squad

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The following players were called up for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Haiti on 11 and 14 October 2024, respectively.[10]

Caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2024, after the match against Haiti.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Matthew Lentink (1993-08-18) 18 August 1993 (age 31) 19 0   VV Goes
1GK Josthan Maduro (2006-08-30) 30 August 2006 (age 18) 1 0   SV Britannia
1GK Jahmani Eisden (2005-07-09) 9 July 2005 (age 19) 0 0   FC Den Bosch U21

2DF Nickenson Paul (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 27) 32 0   SV Dakota
2DF Mark Jacobs (1999-10-28) 28 October 1999 (age 25) 15 0 Unattached
2DF Kymani Nedd (2004-06-10) 10 June 2004 (age 20) 11 0   Excelsior
2DF Edward Clarissa (2000-03-26) 26 March 2000 (age 24) 10 0   VV DUNO
2DF Ashton Charles (1995-03-22) 22 March 1995 (age 29) 4 1   SV Britannia
2DF Tyrese Gijsbertha (2003-12-22) 22 December 2003 (age 20) 4 0   FC Twente
2DF Edhyon Hersilia 0 0   SV Britannia

3MF Walter Bennett (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 27) 21 1   SC Feyenoord
3MF Stiven Melchor Rua (1990-05-12) 12 May 1990 (age 34) 17 0   SV Britannia
3MF Fernando Lewis (1993-01-31) 31 January 1993 (age 31) 13 0   SV Zandvoort
3MF Rovien Ostiana (2002-02-14) 14 February 2002 (age 22) 11 7 Unattached
3MF Isaï Marselia (2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 23) 7 1   Sporting Khalsa
3MF Ethan Tromp (2002-01-17) 17 January 2002 (age 22) 4 0   SV Britannia
3MF Shivay Wadhwani (2005-07-03) 3 July 2005 (age 19) 3 0   Ajax Amateurs
3MF Dimaggio Senchi (1995-05-03) 3 May 1995 (age 29) 2 0 Unattached

4FW Terence Groothusen (1996-09-16) 16 September 1996 (age 28) 20 6   ADO '20
4FW Javier Jiménez (2000-05-27) 27 May 2000 (age 24) 12 1   TSG Neustrelitz
4FW Jayden Kruydenhof (2006-12-18) 18 December 2006 (age 17) 6 1   SC Cambuur
4FW Tyron Perret Gentil (2004-04-10) 10 April 2004 (age 20) 4 1   Almere City
4FW Reangelo Boekhoudt (2006-04-07) 7 April 2006 (age 18) 1 0   River Plate

Recent call-ups

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The following players have been recently called up by the national squad.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DF Nathan Lo-A-Njoe (1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 35) 5 0   Racing Club vs.   Puerto Rico, 9 September 2024
DF Sandro Staal (1994-02-12) 12 February 1994 (age 30) 5 0 Unattached vs.   Puerto Rico, 9 September 2024
DF Jeanpierre van der Linden (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 26) 1 0   TAC '90 vs.   Puerto Rico, 9 September 2024
DF Diederick Luydens (1999-02-18) 18 February 1999 (age 25) 10 1   SV DSO vs.   Saint Lucia, 11 June 2024
DF Darryl Bäly (1998-01-19) 19 January 1998 (age 26) 7 1   FC Lisse vs.   Saint Lucia, 11 June 2024

MF Jonathan Richard (1991-06-21) 21 June 1991 (age 33) 8 0   ODIN '59 vs.   Saint Lucia, 11 June 2024

FW Jeremy van Uunen (1993-10-28) 28 October 1993 (age 31) 4 0   VV Zwaluwen vs.   Puerto Rico, 9 September 2024
FW Benjamin Maria (2001-09-19) 19 September 2001 (age 23) 10 3   VV DUNO vs.   Saint Lucia, 11 June 2024
FW Conner van Kilsdonk (2006-09-24) 24 September 2006 (age 18) 0 0   NEC vs.   Saint Lucia, 11 June 2024

Player records

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As of 10 September 2024[11]
Players in bold are still active with Aruba.

Most appearances

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Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Eric Abdul 32 0 2011–2023
2 Nickenson Paul 30 0 2014–present
3 Theric Ruiz 28 1 2004–2016
4 Erik Santos de Gouveia 27 3 2011–2021
5 Leroy Oehlers 24 0 2013–2019
6 Francois Croes 23 0 2008–2021
7 Ronald Gómez 22 6 2002–2021
8 Raymond Baten 21 3 2011–2019
9 Walter Bennett 19 1 2018–present
10 Terence Groothusen 18 6 2019-Present

Top goalscorers

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Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Rovien Ostiana 7 11 0.64 2023-present
2 Terence Groothusen 6 18 0.33 2019–present
Ronald Gómez 6 22 0.27 2002–2021
4 Glenroy Lake 5 6 0.83 1995-2002
5 Wander Gross 4 5 0.8 2000–2001
Joshua John 4 9 0.44 2018–present
Dwaynalex Raven 4 10 0.4 2012–2015
Rensy Barradas 4 11 0.36 2011–2015
Maurice Escalona 4 12 0.33 2004–2014
10 Lesley Felomina 3 4 0.75 2000–2001
Benjamin Maria 3 10 0.3 2022–present
Jean-Luc Bergen 3 10 0.3 2011–2015
Annuar Kock 3 17 0.18 2011–2019
Raymond Baten 3 21 0.14 2011–2019
Erik Santos de Gouveia 3 27 0.11 2011–2021

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

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FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
1930 to 1986 Part of   Netherlands Antilles Part of   Netherlands Antilles
1990 and 1994 Did not enter Did not enter
  1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 3 6
    2002 4 1 1 2 7 11
  2006 2 0 0 2 2 10
  2010 2 0 0 2 0 4
  2014 2 1 0 1 6 6
  2018 4 2 0 2 5 5
  2022 4 1 0 3 3 19
      2026 To be determined 2 0 1 1 2 4
      2030 To be determined
  2034
Total 0/9 22 5 2 15 28 65

CONCACAF Gold Cup

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CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
  1963 Part of   Netherlands Antilles Part of   Netherlands Antilles
  1965
  1967
  1969
  1971
  1973
  1977
  1981
1985
1989 Did not enter Did not enter
  1991
    1993 Withdrew Withdrew
  1996 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 5 7
  1998 2 1 0 1 2 7
  2000 3 1 1 1 4 4
  2002 3 0 0 3 4 14
    2003 2 0 0 2 0 8
  2005 Withdrew Withdrew
  2007 Did not enter Did not enter
  2009 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 3
  2011 Did not enter Did not enter
  2013 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 5 7
    2015 3 2 0 1 8 2
  2017 2 0 0 2 1 4
      2019 4 1 1 2 5 6
  2021 6 0 0 6 5 18
    2023 4 1 1 2 5 5
Total 0/18 34 6 5 23 38 85

CONCACAF Nations League

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CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Finals Results Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019−20 B C 6 0 0 6 5 18     2021 Ineligible
2022–23 C B 4 1 1 2 5 5     2023
2023–24 C B 4 4 0 0 14 4     2024
2024–25 B C 6 0 0 6 5 17     2025
2026–27 C To be determined   2027
Total 20 5 1 14 29 44 Total 0 Titles

CFU Caribbean Cup

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CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
  1988 Did not enter Did not enter
  1989 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 4 27
  1990 2 0 1 1 3 4
  1991 Did not enter Did not enter
  1992 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 0 10
  1993 Did not enter Did not enter
  1994
    1995 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 5 7
  1996 Did not enter Did not enter
    1997 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 7
    1998 3 1 1 1 4 4
  1999 Withdrew Withdrew
  2001 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 4 14
  2005 Withdrew Withdrew
  2007 Did not enter Did not enter
  2008 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 3
  2010 Did not enter Did not enter
  2012 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 5 7
  2014 3 2 0 1 8 2
  2017 2 0 0 2 1 4
Total 29 4 4 21 37 89

ABCS Tournament

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ABCS Tournament record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
  2010 Third place 2 0 1 1 3 6
  2011 Runners-up 2 0 2 0 2 2
  2012 Champions 2 2 0 0 4 2
  2013 Fourth place 2 0 0 2 1 4
  2015 Runners-up 2 0 1 1 0 1
  2021 Third place 2 0 1 1 3 9
  2022 Third place 2 1 1 0 3 2
Total 1 Title 14 3 6 5 16 26
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Head-to-head record

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Note: teams that are in italics indicates that the team is a historical team of a polity not existing anymore, or a team which is not a FIFA member.[12]

As of 15 November 2024[13]

These all-time records are exclusively class 'A' internationals matches.[14]

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
  Antigua and Barbuda 5 0 0 5 4 11 −7
  Barbados 6 1 0 5 7 16 −9
  Bermuda 1 1 0 1 3 6 –3
  British Virgin Islands 1 1 0 0 7 0 +7
  Canada 1 0 0 1 0 7 –7
  Cayman Islands 3 3 0 0 10 3 +7
  Costa Rica 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1
  Cuba 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3
  Curaçao 4 1 1 2 3 6 −3
  Curaçao 22 0 8 14 19 47 −28
  Dominica 1 0 0 1 2 3 −1
  Dominican Republic 4 0 1 3 5 10 −5
  El Salvador 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
  French Guiana 3 1 0 2 1 4 −3
  Grenada 2 0 0 2 3 7 −4
  Guadeloupe 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Guam 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2
  Guatemala 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Guyana 4 0 0 4 2 12 −10
  Haiti 3 0 1 2 5 9 –4
  Honduras 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
  Jamaica 3 0 0 3 0 14 −14
  Montserrat 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
  Netherlands Antilles 8 1 1 6 9 20 −11
  Panama 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Puerto Rico 4 1 1 2 7 10 –3
  Saint Kitts and Nevis 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5
  Saint Lucia 4 1 1 2 10 11 −1
  Saint Martin 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1
  Sint Maarten 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
  Suriname 13 1 2 10 6 46 −40
  Trinidad and Tobago 1 0 0 1 0 11 −11
  Turks and Caicos Islands 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
  U.S. Virgin Islands 2 2 0 0 7 2 +5
  Venezuela 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5
Total 107 17 23 72 128 265 −137

References

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  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Aruba - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Rec.Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Aruba national team". international-football.net. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  4. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  5. ^ Courtney, Barrie. "Aruba - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Olympic Players, Helsinki Bound". Aruba Esso News on Coleccion Aruba, Biblioteca Nacional Aruba. 6 June 1952. Group photo of the seven Aruban footballers in the Olympic team.
  7. ^ "Adriaan Brokke". Olympedia. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Oncena Arubano a derrota Botafago cu un score di 3-1". Arubaanse Courant on Internet Archive (in Papiamento). 11 August 1952.
  9. ^ "Football: Aruba Wins Interland Series". The Local on Internet Archive. 14 February 1953. Pages 5 to 7.
  10. ^ "Squad Announcement". Facebook. Arubaanse Voetbal Bond - AVB.
  11. ^ "Aruba". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  12. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  13. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Aruba". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Aruba national football team statistics and records: All-time record". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
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