Oranje to face Argentina in World Cup quarterfinals; Match shown at Johan Cruijff Arena

The Dutch men’s national football team will battle against Argentina on Friday for a spot in the World Cup semifinals. The upcoming match kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be shown on large screens at the Johan Cruijff Arena, with the Dutch football association, KNVB, organizing the fourth edition this tournament of its Huis van Oranje event.

Oranje defeated the United States 3-1 in a Round of 16 knockout match on Saturday. Later in the evening, Argentina beat Australia in a nail biter, with a final score of 2-1.

Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead 10 minutes before the halftime break, and Julian Alvarez scored 12 minutes after the match got underway after the break. Then, in the 77th minute, a quick shot by Craig Goodwin deflected off Argentina’s goalkeeper, Enzo Fernandez, and wound up in the back of the net as an own goal. Australia managed to stay in the match despite repeated attempts on goal, and nearly equalized in the final moments of the match, but it was not to be. Australia was sent packing, and Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals.

The upcoming match could be somewhat tense in the Dutch Royal House. While King Willem-Alexander is an avid fan of the football team, his wife, Queen Maxima, is originally from Argentina. The two teams have played against each other nine times, most recently in the semifinal during the 2014 World Cup, where Argentina defeated Oranje 4-2 on penalties. Ahead of that match, the government’s communications office told NOS, "Queen Máxima is Dutch and is therefore cheering for the Netherlands."

Argentina also famously triumphed over the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup final by a score of 3-1, with Argentina scoring twice in extra time. Oranje won 4-0 in the 1974 World Cup, and 2-1 in the 1998 tournament thanks to a late goal by Dennis Bergkamp. The Dutch have four wins against Argentina, and have lost three times, with two draws. The Netherlands has never lost to Argentina in regular time.

Last week, sports data firm Gracenote predicted that Argentina would knock the Dutch team out of the tournament. The firm has not been pitch-perfect in its predictions for the Dutch team. It had anticipated that Iran would topple the U.S. in their Round of 16 match. Gracenote expects the semi-finals to be between Argentina and Brazil, with France taking on Portugal. Their analysts predicted Brazil would then defeat France to win the championship.

Huis van Oranje to return to Johan Cruijff Arena for the World Cup quarterfinals

The upcoming match will be the first time this World Cup that the Dutch team plays during a prime-time broadcast in the Netherlands. Tens of thousands of football fans will be able to watch the match at the Johan Cruijff Arena, which normally seats about 55,000 people.

Two other group stage matches were shown at the Arena, with about 30,000 fans seeing the matches against Ecuador and Qatar. The Dutch team’s first match, against Senegal, was screened in front of 4,000 people at AFAS Live. The Round of 16 match against the United States was not shown in an official KNVB event at a stadium. The organization predicted that the families would use the day of the game to get together for the Sinterklaas gift-giving holiday.

At each event, a line-up of entertainers performed for the crowd before the match and during halftime. This time, the KNVB will bring out DJ La Fuente for the halftime show. Rolf Sanchez, Diggy Dex, Mart Hoogkamer, Xander de Buisonjé, and Ronnie Flex will perform during the event. Jack van Gelder, Evert ten Napel and Bas Nijhuis will provide live commentary.

Doors open on Friday at 5:30 p.m., over two hours before the match will start. Tickets are being sold on the Huis van Oranje website starting at 15 euros.