Veteran Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, who led Curacao to their first World Cup qualification, has stepped down as manager months before the finals because of his daughter’s ill health.

The tiny island nation, a self-governing part of the Netherlands with a population of little more than 150,000, is the smallest country to qualify for football's premier showcase.

A nerve-shredding finale to the CONCACAF qualifying campaign saw Curacao -- with a population of just 156,000 -- squeeze into next year's final.