Gakpo's teammates embraced him on the field as he pointed to the sky in tribute to his late son, Elijah Raphael
Credit: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Cody Gakpo scored an emotional goal for the Netherlands, two days after sharing the news of Noa van der Bij’s pregnancy loss, during the Monday, June 29 game against Morocco
- Gakpo’s teammates embraced him on the field as he pointed to the sky in tribute to his late son, Elijah Raphael
- The Dutch Football Association confirmed Gakpo chose to continue playing with his team’s full support during this time
Cody Gakpo had an emotional moment when the Netherlands took on Morocco in their 2026 World Cup knockout game on Monday, June 29.
At the 72nd minute of the game, the Dutch soccer star scored the first goal for his team — two days after he and partner Noa van der Bij announced that they had experienced a pregnancy loss.
Shortly after giving his team a temporary lead on Monday, the athlete put his hands over his face before looking up at the sky and pointing upward, as shown in a video shared by Fox Sports.
Gakpo's teammates came onto the filed to support him and formed a circle around him, putting their arms around each other as the crowd cheered, as shown in another video shared by Fox Sports.
What a goal from Cody Gakpo and The Netherlands 🇳🇱
The Dutch take the lead in Monterrey! pic.twitter.com/QHM67hJSrw
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 30, 2026
"You can feel the heavy weight of emotion that is running through Cody Gakpo right now, all of his teammates coming together for a man that has been through so much in the last 48 hours, but has put his country ahead," an announcer said Gakpo's teammates took turns hugging the soccer star.
Credit: Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP via Getty
Van der Bij announced her pregnancy loss via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, June 27.
"With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy," she wrote. "Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son."
Gakpo shared the post to his own Instagram Stories, adding, “This is an incredibly difficult time for our family. We kindly ask for privacy and space. Thank you for understanding.”
Ahead of Monday's game, the Dutch Football Association confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that Gakpo would continue playing in the tournament.
The entire Netherlands team comes on the field to support an emotional Cody Gakpo 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/ed3jstrHPy
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 30, 2026
"First and foremost, our thoughts are with Cody and his family, Noa and their son Samuel," the statement read. "This is a very sad, private situation. We were, of course, already aware of what had happened, and we are supporting the family wherever we can. After discussing the situation with his partner, Cody has decided to remain with the team. We respect their privacy and will therefore not comment further on the situation, including the ways in which we are supporting them."
During a press conference before the game, coach Ronald Koeman said Gakpo handled the situation with "maturity," according to The Athletic.
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"I don't think it'll be a heavy weight on his performance," he said, per the outlet. "He deals with things with his family in his own way and it's very powerful, it's beautiful and we've left it there. We've been his support, he can count on us, on the other players and the players handled it in their way.”
Morocco won the game in Guadalupe, Mexico, in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 tie. This is the earliest that the Netherlands was eliminated from a World Cup tournament in history, reports ESPN.
Gakpo and Van der Bij welcomed their first son, Samuel, in April 2025.
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