Video: Thousands of Dutch football fans march to Dortmund stadium ahead of Euro match
Thousands of Dutch football fans clogged the Kleppingstrasse in the city center of Dortmund ahead of the Euro 2024 semifinal match between the men's national teams from the Netherlands and England. The match was scheduled to start at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and just shy of 10,000 Oranje fans were able to get a ticket.
But about 80,000 Dutch fans were expected to descend on Dortmund for the match regardless. Fans decked out in orange marched to the stadium in the late afternoon, waving Dutch flags and large busts of football legends, including Johan Cruijff and Ruud Gullit.
The Oranje fans' marches to the national team matches has grown in popularity over the years. On Wednesday, they were led in a singalong that included "Hey Jude." The song by The Beatles has become popular with England fans, particularly as their team's roster includes midfielder Jude Bellingham.
The Dutch fans bounced from side to side as "Links Rechts" by Snollebollekes was blasted from speakers set up in the city center. The fans then walked the nearly four-kilometer route towards the Signal Iduna Park, the sponsored name for Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.
An Oranje Fan Zone was set up in the Westfalenpark near the stadium, where several DJs and performers were scheduled to entertain the crowd. A big screen will show the match there, and also at Friedensplatz, where more musicians will put on a show.
