KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City knows a thing or two about royalty, which makes us well-suited to welcome royalty during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Dutch television news service RTL Nieuws reported last month that Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will travel to the United States this month to catch at least two matches — one of them in Kansas City.
The pair plan to attend the Netherlands vs. Sweden match at noon on Saturday, June 20, at Houston Stadium. The pair will then board a flight and head north to catch the match between Ecuador vs. Curaçao at 7 p.m. at Kansas City Stadium.
Curaçao, with its Caribbean population of roughly 160,000, is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Kingdom includes the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten.
RTL reported the Dutch royals will watch the Netherlands’ first match, a June 14 contest against Japan, in the Netherlands with the Japanese emperor.
The Netherlands national team arrived in Kansas City on Tuesday to get settled at their base camp. The team is practicing at the KC Current’s practice facilities in Riverside and staying at the Cascade Hotel at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
World Cup fever is nothing new for the Dutch, where fans wear orange shirts as part of the Oranje fandom.
The team is set to play against Tunisia at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, at Kansas City Stadium.
A “Big Oranje Party” is scheduled for FIFA Fan Fest Kansas City starting at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24. The party continues from 2–3 p.m. the next day, also at FIFA Fan Fest.
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