The Dutch royals, who famously travel the world to catch the Netherlands in sporting action and whose daughter Princess Ariane joined them, started their evening in Houston, where the Netherlands dismantled Sweden 5-1 in one of their biggest World Cup victories to date.
Following the match, Willem-Alexander, Maxima, and Ariane joined Oranje in the dressing room to celebrate the win, congratulating coach Ronald Koeman and each of the 25 players present.
King Willem-Alexander addressed the players and staff and hoped to see them back in New Jersey, where the World Cup final will be played on July 19th.
"We are here, but the other 18 million (Dutch) people are watching from home. On behalf of everyone, I very much would like to congratulate you on this unbelievable fight, but also on the discipline to stand there together as a team," King Willem-Alexander said.
"You really played as a team. Everyone. And that made us really proud. It was a solid game with wonderful attacks and a strong defence. Great. Thank you all. Keep on going like this, and we'll see you again in New Jersey."
After the festivities, King Willem-Alexander joined Dutch broadcaster NOS and revealed details of his conversation with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who he was sitting next to.
"I'm a guest of FIFA, so when you're sat next to Infantino, he's the host. I may have made some suggestions for the FIFA Peace Prize for the coming years," he added.
From Houston to Kansas City
From there, the royals quickly moved on to Kansas City, where Curacao faced Ecuador in a crucial Group E matchup.
Curacao, an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, fought to a 0-0 draw and earned their first-ever point in World Cup history, thanks in part to Eloy Room's 15 saves.
Following their earlier example, the Dutch royal family joined Curacao in the dressing room, first congratulating manager Dick Advocaat and his staff before breaking out in dance and joining the Curacao squad in their festivities.
World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
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