Dick Advocaat, who led Curaçao to their first World Cup qualification, has resigned as national team coach due to his daughter's health issues.
The 79-year-old Dutch manager announced his departure through the Curaçao Football Federation on Saturday.
"I have always said that family comes before football, so this resignation decision should not come as a surprise," Advocaat said in the statement. "But it doesn't change the fact that I will miss Curaçao and the colleagues I met there."
Advocaat guided the Caribbean nation of 160,000 people to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, but unexpected circumstances forced him to step away before the tournament.
"Qualifying the world's smallest country for the World Cup is the greatest honor of my career," Advocaat said. "I am proud of everyone on the Curaçao national team who worked with me."
Advocaat is well known to Korean football fans for managing South Korea at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
The Curaçao Football Federation appointed Fred Rutten, formerly of Schalke 04, as Advocaat's successor to lead World Cup preparations.
Curaçao is drawn in Group E of the 2026 World Cup, facing Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. Their opening match is against Germany on June 14 in Houston, Texas.