Netherlands soccer player Cody Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, announced their unborn son died during pregnancy amid the World Cup.
“With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy,” van der Bij wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday, June 27, alongside a photo of the couple holding hands on top of a blanket and knit hat.
Van der Bij thanked her followers for their “love and support,” revealing that the couple planned on naming their son Elijah.
“Forever loved,” she wrote. “Forever our son.”
Gakpo, 27, and van der Bij previously welcomed son Samuël in May 2024.
“This is an incredibly difficult time for our family,” Gakpo said in a statement. “We kindly ask for our privacy and space. Thank you for your understanding.”
The Dutch Football Association announced that Gakpo will remain with the team during the World Cup. Netherlands plays Morocco in the knockout stage on Monday, June 29.
“We are with Cody and his family,” a statement read. “This is a very sad private situation. Of course we knew about this and we support him in every way we can. Cody has decided, after talks with his girlfriend, to stay with the group. We respect their privacy and will make no further comments.”
Gakpo scored twice in Netherlands’ 5-1 win over Sweden on June 20, which helped them win their group.
The couple announced they were expecting their second child last month.
“Our little family is growing 🤍 we can’t wait to meet you,” van der Bij shared via Instagram on May 30.
Van der Bij and Samuël have been supporting Gakpo on Netherlands’ current World Cup journey. She shared photos via Instagram from the team’s game against Japan earlier this month, which showed Samuël wearing a Netherlands jersey that read “Papa” on the back.
The couple celebrated Samuël’s 1st birthday last year with a joint Instagram post.
“One year ago, you came into our lives and changed everything in the most beautiful way,” they wrote. “Today we celebrate you — our little happy boy, our everything. We love you forever Samuël Seth 🩵🎂.”
Gakpo and van der Biij have been dating since at least July 2021, when she first posted a picture of the two on social media.
In July 2022, van der Biij called Gakpo “my person 🥰🤞🏼” in another social media post.
