Nicolás Keenan to make LGBTQ+ history again, this time at the 2026 Hockey World Cup
Keenan previously made history as the first publicly bisexual first gentleman, alongside his fiancé, Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten
By Aaron Sugg
Nicolás Keenan, the first gentleman of the Netherlands, is set to make LGBTQ+ history at the 2026 Hockey World Cup.
Keenan plays for Argentina, who are already guaranteed a place at the World Cup and will open the tournament against Japan on 16 August.
His appearance will make him the first publicly bisexual male player to compete in the competition.
When did Nicolás Keenan come out?
Keenan publicly came out in 2023, after competing in his first Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. He had met his fiancé, now prime minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, a few years earlier.
The two men were first introduced in The Hague, where Keenan has played for top-flight club HC Klein Zwitserland since 2017, and where Jetten served as a member of the Dutch parliament.
In February this year, Jetten became the youngest and first publicly gay prime minister of the Netherlands, aged 38, making Keenan the country’s first publicly bisexual first gentleman.
Wedding plans on hold
Keenan and Jetten went public with their relationship in August 2023 and announced their engagement in November 2024. Their wedding plans are currently on hold as the pair take on new responsibilities.
Speaking to L’HOMO in April, Keenan reflected on the impact of coming out publicly, describing it as “a big thing in the hockey world”.
“Hockey is a unique sport in that sense. At the amateur level, everyone is very liberal and open about their sexuality, but in elite sport, it is different.”
The 2026 World Cup is being jointly hosted by Amstelveen in the Netherlands and Wavre in Belgium, making it a particularly special moment for Keenan and his fiancé.
His Heated Rivalry relationship with Rob Jetten
What makes this even more Heated Rivalry–esque is that Keenan will face his fiancé’s country when Argentina take on the Netherlands in their second Pool A match on 18 August 2026.
He has previously revealed how the hit gay hockey series, created by Jacob Tierney, mirrors aspects of his own love story, particularly through François Arnaud and Robbie G.K.’s characters, Scott Hunter and Kip Grady.
Writing on his Instagram Story after watching episode three of the series, Keenan wrote: “Secret love behind four walls… been there, done that.”