The Netherlands stands by Cody Gakpo after family tragedy: family privacy ahead of sporting pressure
The Netherlands national football team has publicly offered support to Cody Gakpo and his partner Noa van der Bij after they announced that their unborn son had died during pregnancy. The family shared the news on June 27, 2026, in the middle of the World Cup, at a moment when Gakpo was with the Dutch national team in the final stage of preparations for the continuation of the tournament. According to reports by Sky Sports and ESPN, the Liverpool forward asked for privacy and space for the family, emphasizing that this is an extremely difficult period. Although the sporting context is unavoidable because the announcement came during football's biggest competition, the Dutch camp made it clear that the human side of the situation comes absolutely before all competitive matters. The tone of the reactions from the national team, the federation and the wider football public therefore remained restrained, supportive and focused on respecting family privacy.
The family announced the loss of their son Elijah Raphael
According to the announcement reported by People and other international media, Noa van der Bij and Cody Gakpo made it known that their son Elijah Raphael Gakpo had died before birth. The family had previously, at the end of May 2026, announced that they were expecting their second child, and according to Sky Sports the child was due to be born in October. Gakpo and Van der Bij already have a son, Samuël, who is at the center of the couple's family life, and in its reaction, according to a statement reported by People, the Dutch federation specifically mentioned Cody, Noa and their son. Only basic information was made public, without medical details, which is in line with the family's request that their privacy be respected. Such an approach is especially important in cases of pregnancy loss, because it is a personal and painful experience that cannot be reduced to a sports news item or a tournament context.
Gakpo, according to the same reports, thanked people on social media for their understanding and asked that the family be given space during their time of mourning. Van der Bij, in her own post, described the loss as a deeply painful moment for the family, and public reactions were largely focused on expressions of sympathy, without additional pressure for explanations. In professional sport, athletes' personal tragedies are often immediately linked to questions of performance, form and team availability, but in this case the Netherlands national team clearly signaled that it was treating the family's decision with discretion. This means that the details of the support Gakpo is receiving within the national team will not be commented on, nor will the private situation be turned into a subject for daily sporting assessments. Such communication is also important because he is a player under intense international media scrutiny.
The KNVB confirmed support and respect for privacy
The Royal Dutch Football Association, known by the abbreviation KNVB, said that the thoughts of the national team are with Gakpo, Noa and their son Samuël and that it is supporting the family as much as it can. According to the federation statement reported by People, the Dutch camp had been aware of what had happened before the public announcement, and Gakpo decided after speaking with his partner to remain with the team. At the same time, the federation emphasized that it respects the family's privacy and that it will not comment further on the way it is helping them. In doing so, the KNVB avoided turning a personal tragedy into an official communication topic for the national team, but clearly indicated that the player is not alone in a moment of grief. In the circumstances of a major tournament, such a balance between public information and private protection of the family carries particular weight.
According to Sky Sports, Gakpo decided to continue his stay with the Netherlands national team at the 2026 World Cup after coordinating the decision with his partner. That decision does not change the fact that the national team, at least in terms of communication, placed the sporting part of the story in the background. In practice, this means that questions about his possible appearance, role in the team or match preparation cannot be viewed outside the personal context, but equally should not be imposed as an obligation for public explanation. The football federation and coaching staff thus sent the message that Gakpo's presence with the team does not mean that the public has the right to details of family life. For professional sport, in which player availability is often measured almost exclusively by results, this is an important reminder of the limits of public interest.
Continuation of the tournament in the shadow of difficult news
The Netherlands received the news at a moment when the 2026 World Cup had moved from the groups into the knockout stage. According to FIFA's official schedule and tournament rules, the 2026 edition is being played in Canada, Mexico and the United States, includes 48 national teams and 104 matches, and after the group stage comes a round of 32 teams. For the Netherlands, this means that the competition continues with a high-pressure match, but in the days after a family tragedy such a sporting framework cannot be the only topic. According to ESPN, Gakpo is part of the Netherlands national team that reached the knockout stage, while schedule reports state that the Netherlands' opponent is Morocco. In such circumstances, the coaching staff must simultaneously take care of match preparation and of the emotional state of a player who is facing a loss.
Gakpo is one of the most prominent Dutch forwards of his generation, and his official OnsOranje profile lists him as a national-team player born on May 7, 1999 and as an attacking-line player. His importance to the team in sporting terms does not change the approach taken by the federation and the national team after the announcement of the loss. Quite the opposite, the case shows how difficult it is to separate professional obligations from private circumstances when an athlete is at a tournament followed by a global audience. In such situations, the decision to remain with the national team does not have to be understood as suppressing grief, but as a personal choice made within the family. According to available information, it has not been announced that Gakpo received any publicly stated ultimatum from the federation or the head coach, and the KNVB's communication indicates that his privacy will be protected during the continuation of the competition as well.
Reactions focused on sympathy, not sporting calculations
International media that reported on the case emphasized that Gakpo and Van der Bij had asked for peace and understanding, while the football public mostly responded with messages of support. It is important that reporting on such a topic avoids turning a family tragedy into a dramatic sporting backdrop. The loss of a child during pregnancy is not merely a circumstance that affects an athlete's schedule, but a deeply personal event that affects the entire family. For that reason, the Dutch federation's decision not to disclose details can also be considered a responsible move. It simultaneously gives readers the necessary information, but does not cross the boundary of what the family has not decided to share.
In a broader context, the case shows how major national teams increasingly have to establish clearer protocols for caring for players' mental health and private crises during major competitions. FIFA's schedule for the 2026 World Cup is extremely intense because the tournament, due to the expanded format, includes more matches and a longer list of participants than earlier editions. Such a structure increases sporting and logistical demands, but it does not remove the fact that players and their families live real private lives during tournaments, with events that cannot wait for the end of the competition. When tragedy happens in the middle of a tournament, the way the federation, clubs, media and fans react can have a long-lasting effect on family privacy and emotional recovery. In Gakpo's case, the publicly available information indicates that the priority has been placed on support, not pressure.
Gakpo's decision remains personal, and the national team continues with caution
Although it has been confirmed that Gakpo will remain with the national team, it has not been officially confirmed how much and in what way his private situation will affect the sporting decisions of the head coach and technical staff. This is important to stress because the mere presence of a player in camp does not automatically mean that he will be ready for every sporting obligation in the usual way. According to available information, the decision to stay was made after a conversation with Noa van der Bij, which indicates that it is a family decision, not exclusively a choice conditioned by the tournament. Such wording is especially important because it avoids the mistaken impression that an athlete must choose between professional duty and personal grief. The national team will therefore play the continuation of the World Cup with a circumstance that goes beyond the football result.
For the Dutch team, which in the knockout stage is facing stronger competitive pressure than in the group, this period requires additional sensitivity. The head coach, staff and teammates must find a way to continue preparations while not ignoring the reality that one of the key players is going through. In public, inevitably, questions about the lineup, tactics and Gakpo's possible appearance will continue to be asked, but the most responsible answer remains the one already indicated by the KNVB: respect the family's privacy and do not go into details. Such an approach protects not only Gakpo and those closest to him, but also the boundary between legitimate sports reporting and inappropriate intrusion into personal pain. At a moment when the tournament continues, the Netherlands thus enters the next match with a clear message that support for the family is more important than any short-term sporting debate.
Sources:
- Sky Sports – report on Gakpo's decision to remain with the Netherlands national team, the request for privacy and the federation's support (link)
- People – statement by the Dutch football federation, family context and details of the announcement by Noa van der Bij and Cody Gakpo (link)
- ESPN – report on Gakpo, the Netherlands in the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup and the basic circumstances of the announcement (link)
- FIFA – official schedule and format of the 2026 World Cup, including the tournament framework, matches and hosts (link)
- OnsOranje / KNVB – official profile of Cody Gakpo in the Netherlands national team (link)