Surprising World Cup success
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima dance in the cabin
Updated June 21, 2026 – 4:11 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Curaçao celebrated a surprising success in the second World Cup game. Afterwards, the players also celebrated with members of the Dutch royal family.
Curaçao caused a surprise in the second World Cup game: The outsider fought to a 0-0 draw against Ecuador, and goalkeeper Eloy Room in particular caused a stir with his outstanding performance – and even made history. It is the first point for the Caribbean island state, which lost to Germany in the first group game. There were three special spectators at the stadium in Kansas City, Missouri: King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima were excited along with their daughter Princess Ariane.
Footage was shared on the national team’s official X channel, showing the trio first on stage in team jerseys and then in the Curaçao dressing room after the game. They welcomed coach Dick Advocaat and the team, who loudly celebrated their success with music. Scenes show Willem-Alexander and Máxima dancing with the sports stars.
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Curaçao is an autonomous country of the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander is the head, but is represented on the Caribbean island by a governor. Dutch is therefore one of the three official languages. A large part of the Curaçao national team was born in the Netherlands, and coach Dick Advocaat also comes from there.
For the royal couple and their daughter, the visit to the stadium in Kansas City was not the first item on the agenda. They had previously attended the Dutch’s second game against Sweden in Houston, Texas. There was reason to celebrate there too: Oranje beat their opponents 5-1. The Netherlands’ next game against Tunisia is on June 26th, while Curaçao awaits the last group game against Ivory Coast.
