The Netherlands have swapped orange for black in preparation for the World Cup, going against conventional wisdom.
The three-time finalists are training ahead of jetting over to the Americas for the 2026 tournament.
One thing that has been noticeable is all of the training gear being in black despite temperatures already being hot in the Netherlands.
Conventional wisdom suggests white reflects heat and black absorbs it.
So are the sports scientists trying to heat up their players? Well, no.
Team doctor Edwin Goedhart said that he believes the colour makes no difference and is purely aesthetic.
“Bedouins have also been wearing black in the desert for centuries,” he told AD
“The humidity level is much higher than four years ago in Qatar.
“You can’t beat the humidity at this World Cup. At most, you can get used to it step by step.”
Instead, Dutch players are being given sauna sessions during training, but they’re being advised against ice baths, instead walking around to deal with the heat.
“In New York, Koeman can still really focus on substantive training,” Goedhart explained.
“You need those 14 days to acclimatise. Fortunately, our group matches against Japan and Sweden are at 23 to 24 degrees in stadiums in Texas with closed roofs.”
They then head to an open-roofed Kansas, “But by then, the players will already be well accustomed.”
The expert then finished by saying there’s not much to do about the heat, just keep the players’ spirits up.
“A sweltering and hot World Cup takes a toll on your mood,” he said.
“Keeping the atmosphere good will be our biggest challenge. A good joke sometimes does more than an extra sauna session.”
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