Talpa does not want to incur too many costs during the Football World Cup and therefore only sends Noa Vahle to host country America, but can that 26-year-old girl handle that? “It’s impossible.”
Being the boss’s niece has its advantages: Noa Vahle is the only one allowed to travel to the United States on behalf of the entire Talpa, where the Football World Cup is taking place. The entire trip is paid for, but let’s be honest: she is expected to appear on radio and television several times every day with a story.
Burnout
The pressure on Noa will be high and so the question arises: is a burnout lurking? “Yes, such a final tournament is always special. That gives extra pressure and tension. I mainly go there as an Oranje watcher, but I think I will see something of all the matches. Although it will often be in summary,” she says in the Television.
Otherwise she fears that it will be too much for her body. “There are 104 matches and watching them all from start to finish is impossible. It is a busy period anyway. I am the only one who goes on behalf of SBS 6, with my camerawoman.”
Everywhere Noah
The media consumer really gets an overdose of Noa during the World Cup. “I can be seen on Hart van Nederland, Nieuws van de dag, Vrijdag inside and De Oranjezomer. And I can be heard on Radio 538. You live with blinders on and you are really in that tournament bubble.”
She is prepared for anything, even on-site emergencies. “I have been following the Dutch national team since 2022. I know what is going on in the field of football. In addition, the KNVB and press organizations such as the Dutch Association of Journalists organize meetings to prepare us for emergency situations.”
Fire or unrest
This concerns a fire or unrest, Noa explains. “I also had that in 2024 for the European Championships in Germany. Then you learn that you always have to know where the emergency exit is, that it is best to walk to the side of a group: things like that. You never know whether you will put that into practice at that moment.”
Where is she going to sleep? “We have a hotel a little outside Kansas City, Missouri. The Dutch national team is in the same city. We are about a fifteen-minute drive from their training field, which is very practical.”
Kansas
However, Noa will also have to fly a lot. “For the first game we will fly after the Dutch team to Dallas, for the second to Houston and the last game is in Kansas itself.”
“If the Dutch team goes far, possibly to Mexico and elsewhere in the US. If they reach the final, I will get my air miles.”
