The Netherlands has had a week in Texas, playing matches in Dallas and Houston during the 2026 World Cup. One of the leading members of its government delegation has been using the time between games to conduct what officials describe as old-school diplomacy.
Mirjam Sterk, who serves as the Dutch minister for long-term care, youth and sport, spent time in Houston meeting with dementia researchers at Texas Medical Center, speaking with the CEO of an LGBTQ+ community center, and playing wheelchair basketball at a community center for children with disabilities. The minister is a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal party in the Dutch coalition government.
What the Left Is Saying
Sterk told POLITICO by phone that she has found plenty of like-minded people at Houston's fan festival and other destinations during her visit. She argued that sporting events offer a unique avenue for international engagement amid global tensions.
"It's a great example of how sports in this world, which is, of course, polarized with all this tension between countries, can unite," Sterk said. "It's also a sort of language we speak with each other that helps, I think, also in dealing with all these other challenges."
The minister emphasized that the famous fan walk Dutch supporters are expected to conduct en route to their match against Sweden could serve as a tool for building bridges in what she described as an unstable world.
What the Right Is Saying
Critics of sports diplomacy have questioned whether visits to community centers and cultural engagements constitute meaningful foreign policy. Some analysts note that with ongoing geopolitical tensions between NATO allies and other global powers, skeptics wonder whether symbolic gestures at sporting events can translate into substantive diplomatic progress.
Supporters counter that track-two diplomacy—unofficial engagement through cultural and athletic exchanges—has historically complemented formal government-to-government relations. They argue that minister-level officials participating directly in host-country communities can build goodwill that official negotiations sometimes cannot.
What the Numbers Show
The Netherlands is competing in Group B at the 2026 World Cup, with matches scheduled across multiple U.S. cities including Dallas and Houston. The Dutch national team has historically been one of Europe's stronger squads, having reached three World Cup finals, winning once in 1988.
Texas Medical Center, where Sterk visited dementia researchers, is the world's largest medical complex, comprising more than 60 institutions and employing over 100,000 people.
The Bottom Line
The Netherlands' approach reflects a broader trend of using major sporting events as diplomatic opportunities. While critics question whether community visits can address substantive international disagreements, supporters argue that relationship-building at the grassroots level has value alongside formal negotiations. Dutch fans were expected to conduct their traditional fan walk before Saturday's match against Sweden in Houston.