Julianna Washburn/Houston Public Media
The Dutch Orange Bus took off from Galveston Island on June 11, 2026.
Soccer fans dressed in orange and lined the streets of downtown Galveston on Thursday morning to send off the Netherlands’ iconic double-decker Dutch Orange Bus as it heads to Arlington for the team’s opening match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled for Sunday, June 14 against Japan.
The Dutch Orange Bus is an essential tradition for Netherlands soccer fans worldwide as fans typically march behind the bus to celebrate before and after soccer matches. It arrived in the Port of Galveston by cargo ship on May 13. Since then, it has undergone maintenance in Galveston in preparation for its North American journey, according to officials with Visit Galveston.
Bee Kothuis, the chief representative at the Netherlands Business Support Office based in Houston, came dressed in orange for Thursday’s sendoff. After moving to Galveston from the Netherlands, she said the bus being on the island is like a slice of home.
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“This is my happy place and so I’m so glad that the bus is coming here and leaving from here going to Dallas,” Kothuis said.
Julianna Washburn/Houston Public Media
Stef Van De Vijver and Anne Sophie Pijnacker pose for a photo in front of the Dutch Orange Bus on June 11, 2026.
After the match in Arlington, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Netherlands will face Sweden on June 20 in Houston.
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Soccer fan Sophie Pijnacker shared similar sentiments as Kothuis after moving to Texas from the Netherlands.
“Such a special opportunity for us to have our home country play in Texas, both Houston and Dallas. Out of all the cities they could have played in, they came to Texas, so that’s very special for us,” Pijnacker said.
Visit Galveston officials said the sendoff signifies that it’s time for matches to begin and they are excited to host visitors. Galveston Island holds a partnership with Houston’s World Cup host committee to promote the island as a destination for World Cup visitors.
The World Cup is being held in several cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It began Thursday afternoon with a match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. Houston’s first match is Sunday, June 14. As many as 500,000 visitors could come to Houston for the seven matches the city is hosting in June and early July, according to previous Houston Public Media reporting.
“Today we’re not just sending off a bus,” Visit Galveston Executive Director Tony Lyle said. “We’re connecting our history in Galveston to the world stage that’s coming to Texas this summer.”