Biden, Rutte joke over Dutch World Cup win; US ambassador to hand out oliebollen

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and American President Joe Biden swapped jokes with each other on Twitter after the United States was defeated by the Dutch men’s football squad at the World Cup in Qatar. The American ambassador to the Netherlands, Shefali Razdan Duggal, will also soon hand out the traditional Dutch pastry oliebollen at The Hague Central Station.

Rutte reacted cheerfully after the Oranje's 3-1 win over the United States, addressing U.S. President Joe Biden directly on Twitter. For Rutte, the victory means that "football" has won over "soccer".

The prime minister responded with his message to an earlier video by President Biden. In it, Biden is taking a ball from US captain Tyler Adams and says : "It's called ‘soccer!’ Go USA!"

"Sorry Joe", wrote Rutte with a wink. "Football won."

Biden replied back, “Strictly speaking, shouldn’t it be ‘voetbal’? Kidding aside: congrats to your team and country, Mark. Rematch in New Zealand,” he said in reference to next year’s women’s football World Cup where both teams will compete in Group E. The Americans defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to win the last World Cup, held in 2019. Additionally, the American men can look forward to 2026, when the men’s World Cup will be held in part in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Duggal promised to hand out oliebollen on Saturday evening as the result of a bet with the Dutch ambassador in Washington, André Haspels. On Saturday, Haspels asked Duggal on Twitter to make a diplomatic wager on the outcome of the Oranje-US game. "If America wins, I will hand out donuts in DC's Dupont Circle. And if the Netherlands wins, you will hand out oliebollen at Den Haag Centraal. Will you take the bet?" the Dutch ambassador wrote.

Duggal did not hesitate and accepted the challenge. After the game, which gave the Oranje a ticket to the quarter-finals and the US a ticket home, she said: "Congratulations on a well-played victory! A bet is a bet and you will see me soon at The Hague Central with those delicious dumplings."

From the US capital, Haspels replied: "We were great partners before this game and will continue to be for years to come. I wish I could be there to enjoy the oliebollen with you, but we'll save that for another time."