Why Do People in the Netherlands Wear Orange Even Though It’s Not on Their Flag?
The Netherlands is well known for their bright orange football kits, even though orange isn’t on their national flag. They’ve played in eleven FIFA World Cups and reached the final three times, making them one of the most famous teams in the tournament.
In the 2026 World Cup, Ronald Koeman’s team had a shaky start with a 2-2 draw against Japan, but quickly bounced back with an impressive 5-1 win over Sweden. Next, they face Tunisia in their last group game, and a win will secure their spot in the knockout rounds—possibly even as group winners, depending on the Japan vs Sweden result. After that, they’ll face a tough opponent, either Brazil or Morocco.
Throughout the World Cup, the Netherlands have proudly worn their famous orange kits. But have you ever wondered why they wear orange when their flag is red, white, and blue? It might seem a bit odd at first.
They aren’t the only team with this. For example, Germany wears white kits even though their flag is black, red, and yellow. For the Netherlands, orange is special because it represents the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family. Being called a ‘Prince of Orange’ is a compliment there and shows how important the color is in Dutch culture.
It’s not just the football team that wears orange. The Dutch hockey and rugby teams do too, and fans of Formula One driver Max Verstappen often show their support with orange flags and flares at races.
In the UK, people often call the Dutch team ‘Oranje’ or even ‘Clockwork Orange.’ Interestingly, the Dutch flag actually used to have orange in it centuries ago, but by the 1600s, red became the main color. Finally, in 1937, Queen Wilhelmina officially declared that the Dutch flag colors would be red, white, and blue.