KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.
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The Netherlands became Kansas City's first base camp team to exit the 2026 FIFA World Cup after falling to Morocco in the Round of 32.
The team flew back to Kansas City Tuesday afternoon and plans to leave Wednesday morning for Amsterdam.
Kansas City embraced Dutch traditions throughout the team's stay, hosting the largest Oranje Walk in the U.S. with 36,000 people in attendance.
In the Northland, bars went orange and were filled shoulder to shoulder as fans from both countries formed unexpected friendships.
Netherlands fan Raul Sologiner said the outpouring of support from Kansas City caught him off guard.
"Most people in Holland have never heard the word Kansas City before the World Cup," Sologiner said. "I've never heard the word Kansas City before I came here, and now all of a sudden you have 36,000 people walking and cheering for the Dutch team."
For Sologiner, the loss hit hard.
"This morning when I woke up, I had some tears," Sologiner said. "It was hard because I really want us to win."
But he said the experience meant far more than the result on the field.
"It's not just about a ball rolling on the field; it's way more than that," Sologiner said.
In Parkville, a local volunteer bar became an orange hub for Dutch fans during the team's stay.
Chris Wallingford, commander of the American Legion, said the response was overwhelming.
"It was a 'if you build it, they will come' moment, and they in fact came in droves and big orange droves," Wallingford said.
Wallingford said the Alley Bar typically sees around 40 people on a good night. When Dutch fans arrived, that number jumped to over 300.
"People made this their home for the last two, three weeks," Wallingford said.
He said he will never forget the friends he made, including a man named Frank who came in every day.
"He was here every day, screaming at the TV in Dutch, educating people about soccer," Wallingford said. "It truly was like parting with a lifelong friend."
As the Netherlands' chapter in Kansas City comes to a close, the connections made appear to be lasting.
"I have at least 10 messages from Dutch fans thanking us and telling us they want to come back," Wallingford said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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