Has Sheffield United star Tahith Chong always represented Curacao?

Sheffield United midfielder Tahith Chong will be representing Curacao at the upcoming World Cup, despite playing for the Netherlands at the youth level.

The 26-year-old completed a permanent move to the South Yorkshire-based outfit after a two-year stint at Luton Town, and has made 22 appearances for The Blades this season.

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Chong spent his early international career with the Oranje, but in August 2025, his request to switch allegiance to Curacao was officially approved by FIFA after six years away from the international stage.

For the World Cup in North America, the Curacaoan has been called up by veteran manager Dick Advocaat, to make history with his home nation.

Where was he born?

The former Manchester United player was born in Willemstad, Curacao, which at the time, was a part of a collective of Dutch colonies in the Caribbean.

While growing up on the island, he was scouted by Feyenoord while playing for a local team called Atletiko Salina.

Despite being born there, he moved to Rotterdam at ten-years-old, progressing through the youth ranks at Feyenoord before moving to Manchester United’s academy at 16.

Due to his birthplace and upbringing, he was eligible to play for both nations.

Dutch career

The ex-Birmingham City player progressed through every single youth level for the Netherlands, spanning from the U15s to U21s.

With the Oranje, he reached the 2016 U17 European Championships semi-final, where they were beaten by eventual winners Portugal, in a match that featured future stars Diogo Dalot and Rafel Leao.

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Chong reached the U21 level in 2019, playing alongside Cody Gakpo and Justin Kluivert, both of whom have been selected to wear the orange shirt this summer.

While the midfielder was highly respected at a youth level for the Netherlands, he never made a competitive senior appearance for the Netherlands.

FIFA rules behind the switch

Under FIFA’s new rules, a player can switch their international allegiance as long as they have not played more than three competitive senior matches for their previous nation before turning 21.

Because all of his appearances in a Netherlands shirt came at the youth level, he was free to choose his senior nation.

Originally, after two years away from the international stage, Chong accepted a call-up to the Curacao national team where he was named in a preliminary squad, but he was not featured in the final list.

Since formally completing the switch, the ex-United midfielder has played five games for the Caribbean nation and netted three times, including a crucial strike in a World Cup qualifier, which was a 3-2 victory over Bermuda.

Chong described the sporting culture of his home nation during his time at United, saying: “Football is really big over in Curacao. Even though it’s a small country, everything is about football and baseball.”

“There are lots of players from Curacao in Major League Baseball so it’s big, people like Kenley Jansen and Andruw Jones. Footballers such as Jetro Willems and Leroy Fer are from there.

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“Obviously, America is not far – two hours away – so we have a lot of players going to the States to play in Major League Soccer.

“Also a lot of footballers who play for Holland are actually from Curacao, or, at least, their parents are.

“The island used to be a Dutch colony so everyone had their passports.”

Why did he leave the Netherlands?

The decision ultimately came down to securing guaranteed minutes on the international stage and the romantic pull of making history with his home nation.

Despite being a proven talent in England, the former academy star faced a congested path into the senior Netherlands squad, including Kluivert, Ryan Gravenberch and Mats Wieffer.

This summer the little island, which is smaller than the Isle of Man, has qualified for their first ever World Cup.

Advocaat’s side will become the smallest nation ever to compete in the tournament and will be alongside Germany, Ecuador and the Ivory Coat in Group E.

Their training camp is based at the Florida Atlantic University near Fort Lauderdale.