2026 World Cup: Who Is Suzanne Hurrman, the Doctor from Curaçao Who Allows Players to Sleep with Their Partners?

Dr. Suzanne Hurrman of Curaçao is the only woman to serve as head of the medical staff for a team at the 2026 World Cup and the third woman to do so in the tournament’s nearly 100-year history. The Dutch doctor, who also works for PSV and is a close collaborator of Dick Advocaat, is quite well-known on social media, where she has a profile with nearly 20,000 followers. Born in Brazil, she has worked over the years with Real Madrid, Go Ahead Eagles, and PSV Eindhoven, and has served as team doctor for the Dutch men’s Under-16 national team and the Dutch women’s national handball team.

Suzanne Hurrman gladly accepted the call from Curaçao, a Caribbean island with 158,000 residents making its debut at the World Cup: “If you prove that you’re competent and good at what you do, it’s easy to be accepted because what matters is quality and the ability to get results,” she explained to the BBC. “If they see that you’re up to the task and that you share the same goals, everything becomes easier.”

Curaçao, specifically at Hurrman’s request—and unlike other national teams—allows the players’ wives and partners to stay at the training camp hotel and even sleep with them at night. “I see it as emotional support. Curaçao is a small country with very cheerful, warm people who are used to being with their families. Sex? I think it helps, perhaps more on an emotional level than a physical one. In such a long tournament, however, having family nearby eases homesickness a bit and brings a certain sense of peace.”

“Many of our players don’t play at the highest levels of world soccer. For many families, traveling to and staying in the United States for weeks at their own expense would be too costly. So the federation decided to cover this cost so that the players can have their partners and children nearby. Some would probably be worried or stressed,” he told Globoesporte.