The King and Queen of the Netherlands caught a soccer doubleheader Saturday in the United States.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima came to the United States to watch their two favorite teams play. In different games. In different states. And one match was in Kansas City.
The Dutch monarchs, who were joined by their daughter Princess Ariane, began the day by watching Holland rout Sweden 5-1 in a Group F match. They wore orange in support of the team.
⚽ Het Koninklijk Paar en Prinses Ariane moedigen Oranje aan in Houston tijdens hun tweede groepswedstrijd tegen Zweden. Later vandaag reizen ze door naar Kansas om ook te juichen voor The Blue Wave als Curaçao speelt tegen Ecuador.⁰https://t.co/IQa3vzQ8Iw pic.twitter.com/0RuTfwuLcv
— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) June 20, 2026
After that match, the royal family got on a plane and landed at KC’s downtown airport. It marks the first time in a century that a reigning monarch has visited Kansas City.
Following their arrival, word spread among law enforcement at Kansas City Stadium (aka Arrowhead) that the King and Queen were en route — and the path to the VVIP (yes, very very) entrance was cleared by FBI officials, who kept fans away from the area.
The motorcade arrived at 6:14 p.m., and a group of fans from Curaçao were on hand to greet the King and Queen, who had changed to wear blue.
Curaçao is part of the Netherlands Kingdom and fans from the island nation were thrilled the royals were there for the Group E match against Ecuador.
“It means for us a full-circle moment,” Miles Mercera said, “as we’re part of the Dutch Kingdom. “We share the same king and queen, and they have their own team in the Netherlands, as well.
“So now is the first time they have two teams within the same Dutch kingdom, and for them as well to wear the blue and support us is also a beautiful moment.”
The Prime Minister of Curaçao and the Minister of Sport of Curaçao also were at the game.
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