They gathered under dark clouds on a hill across the street from Choctaw Stadium, creating a sea of orange shirts, jerseys and hats getting soaked by rain five hours before kickoff.
Braving that muddy slope and Texas’ indecisive weather, soccer fans from the Netherlands sang along to popular Dutch songs and danced to electronic music coming from one of two orange double decker buses — the epicenter of the Orange Army’s energetic takeover of the Arlington Entertainment District.
A completely new experience on American streets, the Orange Army (or Oranje Legioen, if you’re Dutch) march sees tens of thousands of fans of the Netherlands’ national team travel the globe to party and march in shocking numbers to some of the biggest games and tournaments.
There’s no bigger tournament than the World Cup, and the turnout didn’t disappoint when Arlington on Sunday seized the world’s attention as it hosted the first of nine World Cup matches scheduled in the city: the Netherlands vs. Japan.
The pre-game party was everything promised by the Orange Army’s reputation: energy and camaraderie built around a specific nation’s soccer team but undiscriminating to fans of other countries.
That open invitation to come and party with Dutch fans is just a part of what makes it such a jovial event for many.
And while everyone who comes with positive energy and respect for others is welcome, Bart van der Knijff said he’s never seen a gathering with so many non-Dutch fans in the mix.
“The Americans have been so welcoming, so friendly,” van der Knijff said.
He said he was surprised by exactly how extroverted and warm Texans are, with constant smiles and a consistent curiosity and warmth, asking questions about the Netherlands and eager to make Dutch visitors feel at home.
Dancing to “typical, terrible Dutch music,” as he called it, van der Knijff said he tried to speak his country’s native language to folks when he first showed up at the rally and quickly realized many of the people with whom he tried to strike up conversation couldn’t understand him.
“We’ve seen a lot, a lot of Americans in orange and that’s really new and exciting,” he said.
Among those Americans in orange were Mike Obindinski and his wife, Kiki Obindinski. The two soccer fans from North Texas said they didn’t care what teams would be in Arlington — if they had celebrations or pre-game rituals built around the sport, the two of them would be there.
They were surprised by the exuberance brought by the delegation of Dutch fans.
“I thought Mexican fans were uniquely passionate, but these guys? Wow,” Mike Obindinski said. “There’s nothing to compare it to.”
The Orange Army was asked to gather outside Choctaw Stadium on Ballpark Way at 10 a.m., by which time they’d already filled the streets and the slick downward slope opposite the venue as their numbers continued to swell, converging on the two buses from every direction.
City leaders in Arlington said for more than a year before hosting the first North Texas match of the 2026 World Cup that the fans would number in the tens of thousands, and it certainly looked that way.
By the time the march started at 11 a.m., rain and dark clouds were replaced by sunshine, heat and humidity that did nothing to discourage the party.
Following behind the first of the two buses, the ocean of orange transformed into a river, spilling out onto Ballpark Way, south to Cowboys Way and to Dallas Stadium, the temporary FIFA-mandated name of AT&T Stadium.
The dancing and singing only grew more energetic as they started their march. Pauline Visser traveled to Texas for the first time for the match.
“You sing when there's something to celebrate, and you wear orange, and it gives a feeling of community, like we're strong together. It makes people happy,” Visser said. “People come from all over the world to see the Dutch people celebrate because we also are kind of a little bit crazy when we celebrate.”
One of the most famous singers from the Netherlands was there on one of those buses, Yves Berendse.
For Maxine Bol, it was surreal.
She and her husband, Kees Bol, traveled from their home in Washington D.C. to Arlington to see the match. They met when Kees Bol was in the US for graduate school and moved to Holland for five years, during which time they saw Orange Army marches frequently.
But seeing the same representation in Texas was astounding.
“It’s a fantastic tradition,” Kees Bol said. “It’s a very happy group and we’ve got no animosity toward any team. Everyone is welcome to have fun with us, and that means the Americans, too. Even if they don’t know football.”
And that’s a part of the Dutch tradition that gives Maxine Bol so much joy.
“You can have no Dutch connection, but if you come party with the Orange Army it’s going to be a good time,” she said.
While Orange was the dominant color in the crowd, pockets of green stuck out: fans of the Mexican national team.
The Netherlands and Mexico have had a rivalry since the 2014 FIFA World Cup (though, if you ask the Dutch fans many will say it’s one-sided), stemming from a penalty kick that won the match for the Netherlands — one that Mexican fans say wasn’t earned.
And while they laughed, danced and chanted with Dutch fans, they also weren’t shy about making their opinions on the issue known with signs — some elaborate and others simply marker on a piece of cardboard — popping up from the crowd as they trekked forward declaring “No era penal”: It wasn’t a penalty. Mexican fans ahead of the march joked (or in some cases weren't joking) that they would be cheering for Japan, counting on them to get revenge.
The fact that the upcoming game would pit them against the Netherlands didn’t dissuade Japanese fans from joining the festivities.
They came wearing blue or white jerseys, flags over their shoulders and on headbands and scarves advertising their allegiance to the Samurai Blue, a nickname for the Japanese national team.
Kosei Masaki traveled from Japan to watch his team win (with immense confidence that they would) and was partying with the 'Nederlanders' before they embarked on their hike to the match.
He arrived in Texas the day before and though he was most excited about the tournament, he said the thrill of the match might have a hard time competing with the Lone Star State’s food — especially the beef.
But, he said, while he was confident Japan would come out on top in the day’s match, beef is one thing he doesn’t have with Dutch fans.
“I want to tell Dutch fans, ‘I respect you, but we will win,’ ” Masaki said with a laugh, watching the partying procession from the sidewalk.
Shigeki Hanawa felt the same.
He traveled from Tokyo, near Shibuya, to see the contest.
“It’s going to be a very friendly match, but a very serious match, too,” Hanawa said.
This was his second trip to a World Cup. Four years ago, he traveled to Qatar to watch the games.
North Texans also share a common passion as Hanawa, he said.
“I think Dallas has more of a sports-oriented kind of atmosphere culture as well, so I think you guys have a very, very nice culture as well,” Hanawa said.
He hopes the World Cup sparks a stronger interest in soccer in the US.
“Football is like the common language from anywhere,” Hanawa said. “I can talk to anybody through football.”
He agreed with Masaki that Japan would win, saying he hoped for and predicted a 2-1 outcome in Japan’s favor.
He was right about how many goals Japan would score, but wrong about the Netherlands’.
The game ended 2-2 after Japan came back twice in what many were already calling a classic game by the time it was over.
That second comeback to tie the game came from Koki Ogawa, a forward with the Japanese squad who is very familiar with soccer in the Netherlands — where he plays club football for NEC Nijmegen.
Got a tip? Email James Hartley at jhartley@kera.org. You can follow James on X @ByJamesHartley.
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