Oranje departs for United States as FIFA World Cup countdown begins
The Netherlands national team has departed for the U.S. as preparations enter their final stage ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Under the guidance of manager Ronald Koeman, the squad is heading to the U.S. ahead of the tournament's opening matches next week in the country, with other games also being played in Canada and Mexico, AD reports.
The squad departed from Schiphol shortly after 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. KLM deployed a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner for the flight. Appropriately, the aircraft carries the name “Orange Blossom.”
The Dutch football association opted against using KLM’s better-known “Orange Pride” aircraft, choosing the Dreamliner instead because of its more comfortable cabin configuration. The aircraft features a substantial number of Business Class and Premium Comfort seats, making it better suited for a long-haul journey. On board are nearly 70 passengers, including the 26 members of the playing squad as well as the team's complete coaching, technical, and medical staff.
Oranje heads to North America on the back of an unexpected setback. In its customary pre-tournament farewell match at De Kuip on Wednesday evening, Oranje suffered a 1–0 defeat to Algeria, with Anis Hadj Moussa scoring a late winner. The loss marked the first time in 22 years that the Dutch national team had been beaten in its final warm-up match at home before a major tournament.
Rather than heading straight to its World Cup base, Oranje will first spend several days in New York for a brief but intensive training camp aimed at finalising preparations before the tournament begins. Following its short preparation camp in New York, Oranje will continue on to Kansas City, which will serve as Oranje’s official base during the World Cup group stage.
Ahead of the start of the World Cup group stage, the Netherlands will play one final behind-closed-doors warm-up match. Oranje is scheduled to take on Uzbekistan on Monday at Icahn Stadium in New York as the squad fine-tunes its preparations for the tournament.
The Netherlands' World Cup campaign gets underway on June 14, when Oranje opens its Group F schedule against Japan in Dallas. All three of the team's group-stage fixtures will be played in the United States.
Oranje’s opening game in Dallas begins at 10 p.m. They then face Sweden on June 20 at 7 p.m. in Houston Stadium. Their final group stage game is against Tunisia on June 26 at 1 a.m. in Kansas City Stadium.
During the group stage, the Dutch squad and coaching staff will be based at the Cascade Hotel. The venue was selected in part for its convenient location near both the airport and the team's training grounds. In addition to its high-end accommodations, the hotel offers dedicated fitness facilities and secure meeting spaces for tactical preparations.
Oranje will hold its day-to-day training sessions at the KC Current Training Facility, a state-of-the-art complex developed for the professional women's club Kansas City Current. The purpose-built facility is regarded as one of the most modern football training centers in the United States.
