The Netherlands national football team and Curacao are preparing for their opening matches in the 2026 World Cup, both scheduled for June 14.
Curacao will face Germany in a challenging group stage encounter. Immediately after, the Netherlands will play against Japan in their first group game.
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The fixtures are part of the fourth day of the tournament, which also includes later matches between Ivory Coast and Ecuador, and Sweden against Tunisia.
Advocaat Makes History as Oldest World Cup Coach
Curacao's head coach Dick Advocaat, aged 78, will become the oldest national team coach ever to appear at a World Cup tournament.
His childhood friend Aad de Mos expressed skepticism about whether this will be Advocaat's final coaching role before retirement.
"Dat weet je bij hem nooit, hè," de Mos said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman and midfielder Frenkie de Jong inspected the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, near Dallas, ahead of their match.
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The two-billion-dollar venue features a massive glass wall that has previously drawn complaints from American football players due to blinding afternoon sunlight.
Stadium owner Jerry Jones promised FIFA that he would install curtains over the colossal windows for the upcoming Sweden-Japan group stage match.
In separate tournament news, Morocco secured a 1-1 draw against Brazil following a historic semifinal run in Qatar four years ago.
Moroccan goalscorer Ismael Saibari expressed satisfaction with the competitive performance against the South American football giants.
"We gingen vol voor de winst," Saibari said. The balanced result against Brazil reinforced the confidence of the Moroccan squad during the tournament group stages.
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"Ik vind dat wij bij de wereldtop horen," stated substitute player Salah-Eddine. The tournament schedule continues into the early hours with subsequent matches in the Netherlands' group.
