Netherlands WAGs at the World Cup 2026: Meet the women behind Oranje

The Netherlands arrive at the 2026 World Cup chasing their first-ever world title, armed with Virgil van Dijk’s experience, Tijjani Reijnders’ brilliance and a squad packed with Premier League talent.

However, the women behind Oranje carry equally compelling stories. From a childhood sweetheart who gave up her career to cross continents for love, to a brand new romance confirmed just days before the tournament kicked off.

Here are the five most talked-about WAGs following the Netherlands to North America for the World Cup this summer.

Rike Nooitgedagt: The wall behind the Dutch and Liverpool captain

Rike Nooitgedagt’s story begins in Breda, where she and Virgil van Dijk grew up together as teenagers. She built her own life alongside his, working as a fashion sales manager, representing top Dutch boutiques and brands. Then, in 2013, Celtic came calling.

Rike faced a choice. She resigned from her job, packed her bags and followed him to Glasgow. Subsequently, she followed him to Southampton, and then to Liverpool. They married in 2017 and have two daughters who have never appeared on his 13 million-follower Instagram.

Rike herself has no public social media. She once explained it simply: “I had to resign to follow my man everywhere football takes him.” Quiet, loyal and completely unbothered by the spotlight, Rike Nooitgedagt is, therefore, the anti-WAG WAG.

Mikky Kiemeney: Frenkie’s high school love

Mikky Kiemeney and Frenkie de Jong sat at the same school in the Netherlands. However, she barely noticed him. “He was always quite small and never really caught my eye,” she later admitted. Then one evening, a friend messaged her asking for her number on Frenkie’s behalf.

She replied. The rest followed naturally. She then gave up a promising career in competitive field hockey, she had debuted for HC Den Bosch’s women’s first team at just 17, to build a life alongside him. They moved to Barcelona, married, and now have two sons, Miles and Mason.

Meanwhile, Mikky built her own platform entirely independently, amassing 1.5 million Instagram followers through fashion, beauty and lifestyle content. She also once publicly trolled a Man Utd fan who asked when Frenkie would be coming to Old Trafford with a single laughing emoji.

Noa van der Bij: The ambitious and driven Gakpos

Noa van der Bij moved to England when Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV in January 2023. She did not, however, simply follow along and settle in. Instead, she arrived with a management degree and a position as a junior booker at Cachet Models.

It’s a career she has continued to develop since relocating to Merseyside. Together, she and Gakpo are into growing their brand and business schemes while also welcoming their son Samuel in April 2024. She is warm, grounded and very popular with Liverpool fans.

As Gakpo steps into his first World Cup as one of the Netherlands’ most important attackers, Noa van der Bij arrives in North America as the kind of WAG who makes the whole concept look straightforwardly admirable.

Marina Gourgis: Reijnders’ partner who dreams of a barista cafe

Marina Gourgis met Tijjani Reijnders on Instagram in 2017, both were 19, living in different Dutch cities. They started dating, then followed each other across AZ Alkmaar, AC Milan and now Manchester City, where Reijnders joined for £46.5 million in summer 2025.

Married since 2022, they have a son together. Marina, for her part, has built an impressive parallel career. She trained as a maternity nurse, launched her own brand, and has given interviews about lifestyle and the demands of following a footballer’s career across 3 countries.

Her most endearing public moment, however, came in a recent interview where she revealed the couple’s shared retirement dream: “Tijjani and I have always said we’d love to open a barista cafe someday: a cosy place where people can connect.”

Ella Buffin: Van de Ven’s brand new English rose

No Netherlands WAG story is fresher than this one. The romance between Tottenham star Micky van de Ven and British model Ella Buffin only became public knowledge on 1 June 2026, days before the World Cup began. Witnesses spotted the pair in Spain.

One eyewitness added: “Micky was doe-eyed all night.” Ella, 24, later posted holiday photographs from the trip on Instagram, pool views, beachside scenes, breakfast and dinner, before Van de Ven headed off to join the Dutch squad.

She then confirmed she would cheer the Netherlands, not England, at the tournament. For a player who endured a turbulent season at Spurs: injuries, a relegation battle, and real scrutiny as the club’s captain, the timing could not be more fitting.