Despite the pitiful qualification, Van den Berg firmly believes in qualifying for the World Cup next summer. He is therefore already looking ahead to the circumstances, because it will be the first time that the tournament is played in three countries. “That will be a thing. We speak a lot to people in the Orange group and you notice a lot of doubt among the older supporters. This is mainly due to the costs, which are very high. Especially the tickets for the matches.”
Nice price tag for World Cup
“For example, the cheapest ticket for the final is just over 2,000 dollars,” Van den Berg says. “Then you spend just over 4,000 dollars for a match of an hour and a half. You understand that we are already saving hard. At last year’s European Championships in Germany, the semi-final cost 85 euros per ticket, a huge difference.”
There is one date in the near future that is already circled in red in the house of the couple from Abbenes. “We are looking forward to December 5, when the draw will take place. We will know exactly in which host cities the Dutch team will play and then the puzzling begins. Some fans have already figured out the entire schedule. We are certainly not that far yet.”
The Dutch team needs a draw against Lithuania on Monday evening to qualify for the World Cup. The match starts at 8:45 PM in the Johan Cruijff Arena.