Daily Mail writer Fiona Hardcastle and her 14-year-old son Felix traveled to Amsterdam to watch England beat India 4-2 in the 2026 Hockey World Cup.
The group stage victory took place at Amsterdam's Wagener Stadium, as England secured three points in the tournament co-hosted across the Netherlands and Belgium through the end of August. Felix noted the team's strong standing before departure, observing that "not only are we ranked in the top four just like in the football, but the matches aren’t fixed."
Hardcastle booked Eurostar rail tickets from London St Pancras International to Amsterdam Centraal, where one-way fares start from £39. Field hockey fans can secure match tickets from £31 via the International Hockey Federation website fih.hockey, with day passes priced under €40 granting admission to four top-flight international matches.
Inside the venue, Felix cheered as players walked onto the pitch to the National Anthem before England defeated rivals India. "We invented the sport, Mum, but we’ve never won the World Cup," Felix shouted over the roar of supporters, adding, "It’s coming home." Modern field hockey was codified in 19th-century England, though the men's national team continues its quest for an inaugural Men's Hockey World Cup trophy.
The family established their base at the Kimpton De Witt hotel, a boutique property located three minutes' walk from Amsterdam Central Station where double rooms start from £219 per night. The hotel provides family rooms, complimentary bicycles, and a daily evening Social Hour offering free wine to encourage guests to explore the city like locals.
Exploring Amsterdam Canals and City Sights
Following the match, Hardcastle, her husband, and Felix celebrated over beers and bitterballen, traditional Dutch deep-fried savory meat-ragout snacks. Returning 12 years after a previous trip when Felix was a toddler, the parents agreed the city was enhanced without a young child, as canal-side drinks and navigating Amsterdam's busy bike traffic posed manageable risks with a teenager.
On their first evening, the family walked five minutes west of their hotel to see the illuminated bridges of Brouwersgracht, a historic canal once voted Amsterdam's most beautiful street. Heading ten minutes in the opposite direction brought them near the city's red-light district, passing magic mushroom shops while Hardcastle kept her son's questions short and strict.
Strolling along 17th-century canals beneath traditional gables, Hardcastle's husband gestured toward a couple relaxing on a houseboat with wine chilling by their feet, asking, "Shouldn’t we be doing that?" The canal ring, constructed during the Dutch Golden Age, is recognized globally as a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring historic waterways and merchant townhouses.
Dining at Historic Jansz Restaurant
The family went on to dine at Jansz, a restaurant named after Volkert Jansz, a 17th-century craftsman immortalized in a portrait by painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Their meal featured lemony halibut in lobster bisque, roasted leek with lime, tenderloin with smoked paprika jus, and the restaurant's signature Jansz cheesecake served with apricot sorbet and basil.
As they walked off dinner past closed boutiques, Felix consoled his mother after she admired a tulip-shaped handbag in a store window. "We can come back for that tulip-shaped handbag," he told her, prompting Hardcastle to consider returning if England manage to lift the World Cup trophy at the end of the month.
