Oranje set for journey home after World Cup Exit, earn $11 million in prize money

The Netherlands squad is scheduled to depart Kansas City at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday for the journey home. They are expected to arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. Oranje pocketed 11 million dollars (around 9.68 million euros) in prize money at the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The earnings are the result of participating in the group stage and advancing to the round of 32.

Only part of the Netherlands squad will return home with the team, while a number of players will head directly to other destinations.

The Dutch national team crashed out of the World Cup after losing a penalty shootout to Morocco. The sides were locked at 1-1 after both regular time and extra time before Morocco held their nerve from the spot.

The Netherlands squad, led by head coach Ronald Koeman, will stay overnight in Monterrey before returning to their World Cup base in Kansas City on Tuesday morning (local time). The team trained and stayed in the city throughout the tournament. Local time in Kansas City is seven hours behind Dutch time.

The 2026 World Cup features the largest prize pool in the tournament's history, with 655 million dollars to be divided among the 48 competing nations. The eventual champions will take home a record prize of 50 million dollars.

Despite the record prize money on offer, the Dutch Football Association, the KNVB, is not expected to make a significant profit from the World Cup. Speaking at an event at the Dutch consulate in New York earlier this month, KNVB director of professional football Marianne van Leeuwen said the financial margins remain slim. “If we become world champions, we will make 6 million dollars. If we finish second, we will lose 2 million dollars,” she said.

“For any other finish, we will either break even or post a loss of around 1 million euros,” Van Leeuwen said. “The United States is an incredibly expensive country. The cost of hotels and flights is extraordinary. Fortunately, we are not reliant on FIFA prize money. We are here to win the tournament, not to make a profit.”