King Willem-Alexander cheers Netherlands and Curaçao in two-city World Cup sprint

A double-header for the kingdom

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima had a packed Sunday at the North American World Cup. Starting in Houston for the Netherlands' Group H clash with Sweden, they then flew roughly 1,200 kilometres north to Kansas City, where Curaçao played Ecuador. Both territories fall under the Dutch crown, giving the royal couple two teams to support on the same day.

Dutch rout Sweden in Houston

The Netherlands cruised to a 5-1 victory over Sweden before midday local time. The king, queen and their daughter watched from the stands, dressed in orange scarves. Queen Máxima was seen celebrating, removing her blazer to join fans in a red shirt rather than orange, though still waving a Dutch scarf. The win puts the Oranje firmly on track for the knockout stage.

Curaçao's historic first point

Seven hours later in Kansas City, the royal party had swapped orange for blue. Curaçao, a World Cup debutant and autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw, securing the island's first ever World Cup point. The king and queen later visited the team's dressing room, where video clips showed them dancing with players. Coach Dick Advocaat, a Dutch veteran who previously managed the Netherlands' senior side, leads a squad where 25 of 26 players were born in the Netherlands.

Joking with Infantino

At the Netherlands match, the royal family sat next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“I am a guest of FIFA, and when Gianni Infantino is there, I naturally sit next to the host.”

Asked whether he had lobbied the FIFA chief, the king joked:

“Maybe I made a few suggestions regarding the Peace Prize in the coming years.”

The FIFA Peace Prize, awarded for the first time last December to Donald Trump, was widely criticised. The remark was seen as a signal that the king does not take the award entirely seriously.

Kingdom ties and what's next

The dual appearances highlight the constitutional bond: the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four countries – the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Willem-Alexander told RTL:

“It is a particularly special finals because we have Holland and Curaçao. So we have two teams to cheer for.”

He added that he hoped both would go far. After the matches, focus shifts to the remaining group games, with the Oranje eyeing the knockout rounds and Curaçao still in contention.