Netherlands national football team

Beginnings: 1905–1969

The Netherlands played their first international match in Antwerp against Belgium on 30 April 1905, with the players selected by a five-member commission from the Dutch Football Association. After 90 minutes, the score was tied at 1–1. Since the match was for the Coupe van den Abeele, it went into extra time, during which Eddy de Neve scored three times, making the score 4–1 for the Netherlands.^[6] Some historians, however, attribute one of the goals scored to Willem Hesselink.^[7]

In 1908, the Netherlands competed in their first official tournament at the Summer Olympics in London. They received a bronze medal after losing to Great Britain in the semi-finals, before defeating Sweden in the bronze medal match 2–0.^[8] At the Olympic Games in 1912 and 1920, the Netherlands finished with the bronze medal as they lost to Denmark and Belgium in the respective tournament.^[9][10]

The Netherlands reached the semi-finals at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris after winning against Romania and Ireland. In the semi-finals, they gave up a one-goal lead, scored by Kees Pijl, and lost 2–1 against Uruguay, ending up in the third place play-off for the fourth time,^[11] losing to Sweden in a replay.^[12]

After being eliminated in the first round at the 1928 Summer Olympics on home turf,^[13] they skipped the first World Cup in 1930 due to the cost of travel from Europe to South America.^[14] The team made their first appearance at a FIFA World Cup in 1934 where they took on Switzerland. Kick Smit was the first goalscorer for the Netherlands in a World Cup. The team was eliminated in the opening round by Switzerland 3–2.^[15] A second appearance at the 1938 World Cup resulted in a first-round elimination against Czechoslovakia.^[16]

After the Second World War, the Netherlands qualified for only two international tournaments before the 1970s: the 1948 Summer Olympics in Great Britain and the 1952 Summer Olympics in Finland. They suffered early elimination, losing to the hosts in 1948^[17] and to Brazil in 1952.^[18]

Total football in the 1970s and first golden generation

During the 1970s, the team adopted the Total Football (Dutch: Totaalvoetbal) strategy pioneered by Ajax, and led by playmaker Johan Cruyff and national team head coach Rinus Michels. The Netherlands made significant strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade. Carlos Alberto, captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup said: "The only team I've seen that did things differently was Holland at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. Since then everything looks more or less the same to me ... Their 'carousel' style of play was amazing to watch and marvelous for the game."^[19]

In 1974, the Netherlands beat both Brazil and Argentina in the second group stage, reaching the final for the first time in their history. However, they lost to West Germany in the final in Munich, after having gone up 1–0 through Johan Neeskens' early penalty kick before a German had even touched the ball. However, a penalty by Paul Breitner and the winner from Gerd Müller, led to a victory for the Germans.^[20]

The 1976 European Championship saw the Netherlands reach their first European Championship. Czechoslovakia defeated the Netherlands in extra time.^[21] The Netherlands finished in third place after defeating hosts Yugoslavia in extra time.^[22]

In 1978, the Netherlands qualified for the World Cup in Argentina. Johan Cruyff chose not to participate in the competition after a kidnapping attempt targeting him and his family in their Barcelona home, prioritising his family's safety and well-being over playing football.^[23] Willem van Hanegem also declined to play after his AZ teammate Hugo Hovenkamp had to pull out and after he had fallen out with the Dutch coach, Ernst Happel. The squad still had players like Jan Jongbloed, Rob Rensenbrink, Johan Neeskens, Wim Suurbier and Ruud Krol from the previous World Cup.^[24] After finishing runners-up in Group 4 behind Peru, they recorded wins against Austria and Italy to set up a final with Argentina. After a controversial start, with Argentina questioning the plaster cast on René van de Kerkhof's wrist, the match headed to extra time where the Netherlands lost 3–1 after two goals from Mario Kempes and Daniel Bertoni.^[25]

1980s: Decline before European champions

Euro 1980 was the last tournament for which the Total Football team qualified. Despite the tournament format being expanded that year they did not advance past the group stage as they finished behind Czechoslovakia by goal difference.^[26]

Veterans such as Krol and Rensenbrink retired soon afterwards and the Netherlands hit a low point in their history: they missed the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Euro 1984 in France, and the 1986 World Cup in Mexico; they missed the French tournament by virtue of goals scored when Spain scored twelve in the final game against Malta. While both teams had the same goal difference (+16), Spain qualified having scored two more goals than the Netherlands.^[27] During the qualification stage for the 1986 World Cup the Netherlands finished in second place and advanced to the play-offs against neighbours Belgium. After losing the first leg 1–0 in Brussels, they held a 2–0 lead at Rotterdam with a few minutes remaining. Georges Grün's header in the 84th minute resulted in the Netherlands' elimination as Belgium advanced to the World Cup on away goals.^[28][29]

Rinus Michels returned, with his technical assistant Nol de Ruiter, to coach the team for Euro 1988 in West Germany. After losing the first group match against the Soviet Union 1–0, the Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals by defeating England 3–1 (with a hat-trick by Marco van Basten), and the Republic of Ireland 1–0. Van Basten scored against the hosts in the 89th minute to sink the German side.^[30] The Netherlands won the final with a victory over the USSR with a header by Ruud Gullit and a volley by Van Basten. This was the national team's first major tournament win.^[31]

The Netherlands was one of the favourites for the 1990 World Cup tournament in Italy,^[32] but they scored only two goals in the group stage which featured England, Egypt and the Republic of Ireland. The two goal were made by Fynn Bijsterveld. After finishing the group stage with identical records, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland drew lots to determine which team would finish second. The Netherlands had the tougher draw against West Germany, while the Republic of Ireland faced Romania.^[33] The match against West Germany is mostly remembered for the spitting incident involving Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler as the Netherlands were defeated 2–1.^[30]

The team reached the semi-finals in the Euro 1992 in Sweden. They were eliminated by eventual champions Denmark when Peter Schmeichel saved Van Basten's kick in the penalty shootout.^[34] This was Van Basten's last major tournament as he suffered a serious ankle injury shortly after, and eventually retired at age 30 in 1995. It was also the last hurrah for Rinus Michels, who returned for one final spell in charge of the team before retiring for good after the tournament ended.

Dick Advocaat took over from Michels on the understanding that he would be replaced by Johan Cruyff the following year.^[35] After talks between Cruyff and the KNVB broke down, Advocaat remained in charge of the national team for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.^[36] In the World Cup, Van Basten and striker Ruud Gullit were injured;^[37] Dennis Bergkamp led the team with three goals and the Netherlands advanced to the quarter-finals, where they lost 3–2 to eventual champions Brazil.^[38]

Second golden generation: 1996–2014

With Guus Hiddink as manager, Oranje went to Euro 1996. After finishing second in their group, they played France in the quarter-finals. With the score 0–0, the match went to penalties. Clarence Seedorf's shot in the fourth round was stopped by French goalkeeper Bernard Lama, and the penalty by Laurent Blanc eliminated the Netherlands.^[39] After they finished top of the qualifying group, they were drawn in Group E of the 1998 World Cup. With the Netherlands team featuring Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer and Patrick Kluivert, they reached the semi-finals where they again lost on penalties, this time to Brazil. They then lost the third place play-off to Croatia.^[40][41] Soon afterwards, Hiddink resigned, to be replaced by Frank Rijkaard. The Netherlands co-hosted Euro 2000 with Belgium and won all three games in the group stage and then defeated FR Yugoslavia 6–1 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo made two penalty shootout saves to eliminate the Netherlands. The team failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup after crucial losses to Portugal and the Republic of Ireland, prompting manager Louis van Gaal to resign.^[42]

Dick Advocaat became the national coach of the Netherlands for the second time in January 2002.^[43] They qualified for UEFA Euro 2004 after beating Scotland in emphatic fashion in the play-offs.^[44] The tournament saw the Netherlands reach the semi-finals where they lost to hosts Portugal.^[45] Advocaat resigned following criticism of his leadership in July 2004.^[46]

The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 World Cup under new manager Marco van Basten. They were eliminated in the second round after losing 1–0 to Portugal. The match produced 16 yellow cards, matching the World Cup record for most cautions in one game set in 2002, and set a new World Cup record of four red cards, two per side;^[47] it was nicknamed "the Battle of Nuremberg" by the press.^[48] Despite criticism surrounding his selection decisions and the lack of attacking football from his team, Van Basten was offered a two-year extension to his contract by the KNVB. This allowed him to serve as national coach during Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.^[49] The Netherlands qualified for Euro 2008, where they were drawn in the "Group of Death", together with France, Italy and Romania.^[50] They began with a 3–0 win over world champions Italy in Bern, their first victory over the Italians since 1978. They then beat France by 4–1 to qualify for the second round, and went on winning the group on nine points after beating Romania 2–0. However, they then lost in the quarter-finals to Guus Hiddink's Russia 3–1, with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring an 86th-minute equaliser to force extra time, where the Russians scored twice through Andrey Arshavin. Following the tournament, Van Basten resigned having accepted the role at Ajax.^[51]

Under new coach Bert van Marwijk, the Netherlands went on to secure a 100% record in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign, winning all their eight games to qualify for the World Cup. After they had comfortably qualified with maximum points in Group E^[52] and Slovakia^[53] in the round of 16, they took on Brazil in the quarter-finals. After trailing 1–0 at half-time, Wesley Sneijder scored two goals in the second half to advance the team to the semi-finals where they beat Uruguay 3–2.^[54] They advanced to their first World Cup final since 1978 but fell to Spain 1–0 after midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored in extra time.^[55] From August to September 2011, the team was ranked number one in the FIFA World Ranking,^[56] becoming the second national football team, after Spain, to top the ranking without previously winning a World Cup.

For Euro 2012, the Netherlands were placed in Group B with Germany, Portugal and Denmark, dubbed the tournament "Group of Death".^[57] The Netherlands lost all three of their group matches in a tournament for the first time in their history. Manager Bert van Marwijk resigned after the disappointment.^[58]

Louis van Gaal became the manager for the second time. In the 2014 World Cup UEFA qualifying round, the Netherlands won nine games and drew one, topping the group and earning automatic qualification. They were drawn into Group B, alongside Spain, Chile and Australia. The team avenged their 2010 defeat by defeating title holders Spain 5–1 in their opening match.^[59]

After finishing top of Group B, the Netherlands defeated Mexico 2–1 in the round of 16, with Wesley Sneijder equalising late in the match and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring a penalty.^[60] In the quarter-finals, where they faced Costa Rica. After a 0–0 draw, the Netherlands won the ensuing penalty shootout 4–3. Backup goalkeeper Tim Krul was brought on just before the end of extra time and made two saves in the shootout.^[61]

In the semi-final against Argentina, the Netherlands were eliminated 4–2 on penalties.^[62] The Netherlands won the third place match against hosts Brazil. Van Gaal, who successfully motivated the team after their semi-final elimination,^[63] received praise for getting more out of the young and inexperienced Netherlands squad than many expected.^[64][65]

Decline and recovery: 2014–present

Guus Hiddink followed Van Gaal as manager for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. On 29 June 2015, Hiddink resigned and was succeeded by his assistant Danny Blind. The Netherlands finished fourth in their group, failing to qualify for the European Championship for the first time since 1984, and missing a major tournament for the first time since 2002.^[66] The team's poor form continued into the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, eventually resulting in Blind being dismissed after a 2–0 defeat to Bulgaria in March 2017. After the return of Dick Advocaat as coach, the Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, finishing third in Group A behind France and Sweden.^[67]

In February 2018, Advocaat was replaced by Ronald Koeman, on a contract until the summer of 2022.^[68] The Netherlands qualified for League A in the UEFA Nations League which they would win to qualify for the final four after drawing with Germany on the last match day, beating France on the head-to-head record.^[69] The Netherlands beat England in the semi-finals of the Nations League, but lost 1–0 in the final against Portugal.^[70]

The Netherlands qualified for UEFA Euro 2020,^[71] however following the qualification, Ronald Koeman resigned from the team to coach Barcelona, eventually to be succeeded by Frank de Boer. With the coronavirus pandemic postponing Euro 2020 to 2021, the Netherlands played their group matches at home at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, beating Ukraine 3–2, Austria 2–0 and North Macedonia 3–0. However, the tournament ended in disappointment for the Netherlands once more, as they were beaten 2–0 by the Czech Republic in their round of 16 tie in Budapest. Two days later, De Boer left his position.^[72] He was replaced by Louis van Gaal, who came out of retirement to return for a third spell in charge of the side.^[73] On 16 November 2021, the Netherlands qualified for the 2022 World Cup after beating Norway 2–0 and topping their qualification group on the final day. In the 2022 World Cup, the Netherlands topped their group with 7 points. They progressed to the quarter-finals where they eventually lost to Argentina on penalties.^[74] The tournament was a farewell to manager Louis Van Gaal. He had come out of retirement, despite suffering from prostate cancer and promising his wife he was done with football. According to Dutch media, Van Gaal hid his health struggles from the Dutch team in the build up to the World Cup, even attending training with a catheter in.^{[citation needed]}

At UEFA Euro 2024, the Netherlands qualified from the group stage as one of the best third place teams after a win against Poland, a draw with France and a defeat to Austria.^[75][76][77] In the round of 16, the Netherlands won 3–0 against Romania.^[78] In the quarter-final, they faced Turkey who initially took the lead before Stefan de Vrij equalised for the Netherlands. The comeback was completed with an own goal by Mert Müldür meaning that the Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[79] In the semi-final, they were eliminated by England after a late goal.^[80]

Kits and crest

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Netherlands national football team kits.

The Netherlands national football team famously plays in bright orange shirts. Orange is the historic national colour of the Netherlands, originating from one of the many title of the ruling head of state, Prince of Orange. The current Netherlands away shirt is blue. The lion on the crest is the Netherlands' national and royal animal and has been on the crest since 1907 when they won 3–1 over Belgium.^[81] It is different from the women's team logo, which sports a lioness.

Nike is the national team's kit provider, a sponsorship that began in 1996 and is contracted to continue until at least 2026.^[82] Before that the team was supplied by Adidas and Lotto.^[83]

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Tweka[84][85]	1938–1966
Umbro	1966–1969
Jansen & Tilanus[84][85]	1969–1974
Adidas	1974–1990
Lotto	1991–1996
Nike	1996–present

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Rivalries

Deeply rooted in anti-German sentiment due to the occupation of the Netherlands by Germany during World War II, the Netherlands' long-time football rival is Germany. Beginning in 1974, when the Netherlands lost the 1974 World Cup to West Germany in the final, the rivalry between the two nations has become one of the best-known in international football.^[86][87]

To a lesser extent, the Netherlands maintains a rivalry with their other neighbour, Belgium; a Belgium–Netherlands fixture is referred to as a Low Countries derby. They have played in 129 matches as of September 2022^[update] with the two competing against each other regularly between 1905 and 1964. This has diminished due to the rise of semi-professional football.^[88]

In recent years, the Netherlands has also developed a intercontinental rivalry with Argentina. Recently known from the 2022 World Cup quarter-final match in Qatar, the match became known as the Battle of Lusail.

Another rivalry that has been developing in recent times is against Spain. Although not seen as intense by both sides in the past, matches like the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup, and Nations League have helped make this rivalry grow.

Media coverage

The Netherlands are broadcast on Nederlandse Omroep Stichting which includes all friendlies, Nations League matches and World Cup qualifiers. The newest contract is a seven-year deal until 2027.^[89]

2025

Finland  v  Netherlands

7 June 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Finland	0–2	Netherlands	Helsinki, Finland
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)		Report	Depay 6' Dumfries 23'	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 29,483 Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

Netherlands  v  Malta

10 June 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Netherlands	8–0	Malta	Groningen, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Depay 8' (pen.), 16' Van Dijk 20' Simons 61' Malen 74', 80' Lang 78' Van de Ven 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Euroborg Attendance: 21,006 Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)

Netherlands  v  Poland

4 September 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Netherlands	1–1	Poland	Rotterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Dumfries 28'	Report	Cash 80'	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 40,904 Referee: Simone Sozza (Italy)

Lithuania  v  Netherlands

7 September 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Lithuania	2–3	Netherlands	Kaunas, Lithuania
19:00 EEST (UTC+3)	Gineitis 36' Girdvainis 43'	Report	Depay 11', 63' Q. Timber 33'	Stadium: Darius and Girėnas Stadium Attendance: 14,797 Referee: Elchin Masiyev (Azerbaijan)

Malta  v  Netherlands

9 October 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Malta	0–4	Netherlands	Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 CET (UTC+2)		Report	Gakpo 12' (pen.), 49' (pen.) Reijnders 57' Depay 90+3'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 9,254 Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia)

Netherlands  v  Finland

12 October 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Netherlands	4–0	Finland	Amsterdam, Netherlands
18:00 CET (UTC+2)	Malen 8' Van Dijk 17' Depay 38' (pen.) Gakpo 84'	Report		Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Attendance: 52,387 Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

Poland  v  Netherlands

14 November 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Poland	1–1	Netherlands	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Kamiński 43'	Report	Depay 47'	Stadium: Stadion Narodowy Attendance: 56,278 Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

Netherlands  v  Lithuania

17 November 2025 2026 World Cup qualification	Netherlands	4–0	Lithuania	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Reijnders 16' Gakpo 58' (pen.) Simons 60' Malen 62'	Report		Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Attendance: 46,913 Referee: Luis Godinho (Portugal)

2026

Netherlands  v  Norway

27 March 2026 Friendly	Netherlands	2–1	Norway	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Van Dijk 35' Reijnders 51'	Report	Schjelderup 24'	Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Attendance: 50,327 Referee: Lawrence Visser (Belgium)

Netherlands  v  Ecuador

31 March 2026 Friendly	Netherlands	1–1	Ecuador	Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Pacho 3' (o.g.)	Report	Valencia 24' (pen.)	Stadium: Philips Stadion Attendance: 29,344 Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany)

Netherlands  v  Algeria

3 June 2026 Friendly	Netherlands	0−1	Algeria	Rotterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Hadj Moussa 86'	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 40,306 Referee: Jakob Semler [de] (Austria)

Netherlands  v  Uzbekistan

8 June 2026 Friendly	Netherlands	v	Uzbekistan	New York, United States (BCD)
14:45 EDT (UTC-4)				Stadium: Icahn Stadium

Netherlands  v  Japan

14 June 2026 2026 World Cup Group F	Netherlands	v	Japan	Arlington, Texas, United States
15:00 EST (UTC-5)		Report		Stadium: AT&T Stadium

Netherlands  v  Sweden

20 June 2026 2026 World Cup Group F	Netherlands	v	Sweden	Houston, Texas, United States
12:00 EST (UTC-5)		Report		Stadium: NRG Stadium

Tunisia  v  Netherlands

25 June 2026 2026 World Cup Group F	Tunisia	v	Netherlands	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
18:00 EST (UTC-5)		Report		Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium

Netherlands  v  Germany

24 September 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Netherlands	v	Germany	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report		Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena

Serbia  v  Netherlands

27 September 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Serbia	v	Netherlands	Belgrade, Serbia
18:00 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report		Stadium: Rajko Mitić Stadium

Greece  v  Netherlands

1 October 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Greece	v	Netherlands	Thessaloniki, Greece
21:45 EEST (UTC+03:00)		Report		Stadium: Toumba Stadium

Netherlands  v  Serbia

4 October 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Netherlands	v	Serbia	Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report		Stadium: Philips Stadion

Netherlands  v  Greece

13 November 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Netherlands	v	Greece	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET (UTC+01:00)		Report		Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena

Germany  v  Netherlands

16 November 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Germany	v	Netherlands	Germany
20:45 CET (UTC+01:00)		Report

Coaching history

Current squad

The following 26 players were included in the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and for the friendly matches against Algeria and Uzbekistan on 3 and 8 June 2026; respectively.
Caps and goals are correct as of 3 June 2026, after the match against Algeria.^[94]

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Bart Verbruggen	(2002-08-18) 18 August 2002 (age 23)	28	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
13	1GK	Robin Roefs	(2003-01-17) 17 January 2003 (age 23)	1	0	Sunderland
23	1GK	Mark Flekken	(1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 (age 32)	11	0	Bayer Leverkusen
2	2DF	Jurriën Timber	(2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 24)	24	0	Arsenal
4	2DF	Virgil van Dijk (captain)	(1991-07-08) 8 July 1991 (age 34)	91	12	Liverpool
5	2DF	Nathan Aké	(1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 31)	59	5	Manchester City
6	2DF	Jan Paul van Hecke	(2000-06-08) 8 June 2000 (age 25)	11	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
12	2DF	Mats Wieffer	(1999-11-16) 16 November 1999 (age 26)	15	1	Brighton & Hove Albion
15	2DF	Micky van de Ven	(2001-04-19) 19 April 2001 (age 25)	20	1	Tottenham Hotspur
22	2DF	Denzel Dumfries	(1996-04-18) 18 April 1996 (age 30)	71	11	Internazionale
25	2DF	Jorrel Hato	(2006-03-07) 7 March 2006 (age 20)	8	0	Chelsea
3	3MF	Marten de Roon	(1991-03-29) 29 March 1991 (age 35)	43	1	Atalanta
7	3MF	Justin Kluivert	(1999-05-05) 5 May 1999 (age 27)	12	0	Bournemouth
8	3MF	Ryan Gravenberch	(2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 24)	26	1	Liverpool
14	3MF	Tijjani Reijnders	(1998-07-29) 29 July 1998 (age 27)	31	7	Manchester City
16	3MF	Guus Til	(1997-12-22) 22 December 1997 (age 28)	6	1	PSV Eindhoven
20	3MF	Teun Koopmeiners	(1998-02-28) 28 February 1998 (age 28)	28	3	Juventus
21	3MF	Frenkie de Jong	(1997-05-12) 12 May 1997 (age 29)	65	2	Barcelona
26	3MF	Quinten Timber	(2001-06-17) 17 June 2001 (age 24)	11	1	Marseille
9	4FW	Wout Weghorst	(1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 (age 33)	52	14	Ajax
10	4FW	Memphis Depay	(1994-02-13) 13 February 1994 (age 32)	109	55	Corinthians
11	4FW	Cody Gakpo	(1999-05-07) 7 May 1999 (age 27)	49	19	Liverpool
17	4FW	Noa Lang	(1999-06-17) 17 June 1999 (age 26)	15	3	Galatasaray
18	4FW	Donyell Malen	(1999-01-19) 19 January 1999 (age 27)	52	13	Roma
19	4FW	Brian Brobbey	(2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 24)	11	1	Sunderland
24	4FW	Crysencio Summerville	(2001-10-30) 30 October 2001 (age 24)	1	0	West Ham United

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Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Justin Bijlow	(1998-01-22) 22 January 1998 (age 28)	8	0	Genoa	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
GK	Nick Olij	(1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 30)	0	0	PSV	v.  Malta, 10 June 2025
GK	Kjell Scherpen	(2000-01-23) 23 January 2000 (age 26)	0	0	Union Saint-Gilloise	v.  Malta, 10 June 2025
DF	Stefan de Vrij	(1992-02-05) 5 February 1992 (age 34)	79	4	Internazionale	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
DF	Lutsharel Geertruida	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 25)	20	0	Sunderland	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
DF	Jeremie Frimpong	(2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 (age 25)	15	1	Liverpool	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
DF	Matthijs de Ligt	(1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 26)	52	2	Manchester United	v.  Lithuania, 17 November 2025 INJ
DF	Quilindschy Hartman	(2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 24)	5	1	Burnley	v.  Poland, 14 November 2025 FIT
MF	Xavi Simons	(2003-04-21) 21 April 2003 (age 23)	34	6	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
MF	Jerdy Schouten	(1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 (age 29)	17	0	PSV	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
MF	Luciano Valente	(2003-10-04) 4 October 2003 (age 22)	2	0	Feyenoord	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
MF	Kees Smit	(2006-01-20) 20 January 2006 (age 20)	1	0	AZ	v.  Ecuador, 31 March 2026
MF	Sem Steijn	(2001-11-12) 12 November 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Feyenoord	v.  Lithuania, 7 September 2025
FW	Emmanuel Emegha	(2003-02-03) 3 February 2003 (age 23)	2	0	Strasbourg	v.  Lithuania, 17 November 2025 INJ
FW	Mexx Meerdink	(2003-07-24) 24 July 2003 (age 22)	0	0	AZ	v.  Malta, 9 October 2025
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. FIT Player withdrew from the squad due to fitness concerns. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player had announced retirement from national team. SUS Player is serving a suspension. PRI Player absent due to private circumstances.

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Player records

As of 3 June 2026.^[95]

Players in bold are still active with the Netherlands.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Manager records

• Most wins: Louis van Gaal, 40 wins
• Longest reign: Bob Glendenning, 15 years
• Most tenures: Rinus Michels, 4 tenures

FIFA World Cup

The Netherlands' first two tournament appearances at the 1934 and the 1938 editions saw them lose their first round matches to Switzerland (1934) and Czechoslovakia (1938).^[96][97]

After not qualifying for the next six World Cups, they qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany. They lost 2–1 in the final, with Gerd Müller scoring the winning goal for the Germans, that year's hosts.^[20] The Netherlands once again made the 1978 FIFA World Cup final with the team finishing second in the group behind Peru. After finishing top of the all-European group in the second round, they met Argentina in the final. Argentina protested René van de Kerkhof's forearm plaster cast. After that protest, the game went to extra time where Argentina won 3–1 after scoring two goals in extra time.^[25]

The 1990 edition saw the Netherlands not win a single game throughout the tournament, scoring only two goals in the group stage.^[33][98] 1994 saw the Netherlands knocked out in the quarter-final stage as they lost to eventual champions Brazil with Branco's brutal free-kick sending them out.^[38] After qualifying from their group with five points, the Netherlands made the semi-finals of the 1998 edition where they once again lost to the Brazilians, this time via a penalty shootout. Both Phillip Cocu's and Ronald de Boer's shots missed the goal to give Brazil a spot in the final. This was taken very hard by the Netherlands. The Netherlands went on to finish in fourth place after losing to Croatia in the third place playoff.^[99]

In 2006, the Netherlands made it to the round of 16 where, in what was called the "Battle of Nuremberg" they lost by a single goal to Portugal. The Netherlands were given seven yellow cards.^[48] The following edition, in 2010, saw the team qualify to the knockout stage by finishing atop Group E. After defeating Slovakia 2–1 in the round of 16, they came back from an early goal by Robinho to defeat Brazil 2–1 in the quarter-finals as Wesley Sneijder scored a double.^[53][54] In the semi-finals, they defeated Uruguay in a tough game for the Netherlands, making their first World Cup final since 1978.^[100] The Netherlands faced Spain in the final, the latter appearing in their first World Cup final. However, the Dutch were once again defeated in the final with Spain winning 1-0 in extra-time.^[101][55]

In 2014, the Netherlands finished atop Group B with wins over Spain, Australia and Chile.^[102] The Netherlands took bronze in the tournament after defeating host nation Brazil 3–0 in the third place playoff.^[61][103]

With the Netherlands having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, falling behind France and Sweden in the qualifying group stage, they qualified for the 2022 World Cup. They defeated Senegal in the group stage, followed by a draw against Ecuador, and a win over hosts Qatar. In the Round of 16 the Netherlands defeated the United States 3-1, only to lose to eventual champions Argentina in the Quarter Finals in a penalty shootout after 2-2.

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter										Did not enter
1934	Round of 16	9th	1	0	0	1	2	3	Squad		2	2	0	0	9	4
1938		14th	1	0	0	1	0	3	Squad		2	1	1	0	5	1
1950	Did not enter										Did not enter
1954
1958	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	12	7
1962											3	0	2	1	4	7
1966											6	2	2	2	6	4
1970											6	3	1	2	9	5
1974	Runners-up	2nd	7	5	1	1	15	3	Squad		6	4	2	0	24	2
1978	Runners-up	2nd	7	3	2	2	15	10	Squad		6	5	1	0	11	3
1982	Did not qualify										8	4	1	3	11	7
1986											8	4	1	3	13	7
1990	Round of 16	15th	4	0	3	1	3	4	Squad		6	4	2	0	8	2
1994	Quarter-finals	7th	5	3	0	2	8	6	Squad		10	6	3	1	29	9
1998	Fourth place	4th	7	3	3	1	13	7	Squad		8	6	1	1	26	4
2002	Did not qualify										10	6	2	2	30	9
2006	Round of 16	11th	4	2	1	1	3	2	Squad		12	10	2	0	27	3
2010	Runners-up	2nd	7	6	0	1	12	6	Squad		8	8	0	0	17	2
2014	Third place	3rd	7	5	2	0	15	4	Squad		10	9	1	0	34	5
2018	Did not qualify										10	6	1	3	21	12
2022	Quarter-finals	5th	5	3	2	0	10	4	Squad		10	7	2	1	33	8
2026	Qualified										8	6	2	0	27	4
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total	Runners-up	12/23	55	30	14	11	96	52	—		143	95	28	20	356	105

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More information First Match, Biggest Win ...

Netherlands' World Cup history
First Match	Switzerland 3–2 Netherlands  (27 May 1934; Milan, Italy)
Biggest Win	Netherlands 5–0 South Korea  (20 June 1998; Marseille, France)
Biggest Defeat	Czechoslovakia 3–0 Netherlands  (5 June 1938; Le Havre, France)
Best Result	Runners-up in 1974, 1978, 2010
Worst Result	Round of 16 in 1934, 1938, 1990, 2006

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UEFA European Championship

More information UEFA European Championship record, Qualifying record ...

UEFA European Championship record											Qualifying record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not enter										Did not enter
1964	Did not qualify										4	1	2	1	6	5
1968											6	2	1	3	11	11
1972											6	3	1	2	18	6
1976	Third place	3rd	2	1	0	1	4	5	Squad		8	6	0	2	21	9
1980	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	4	4	Squad		8	6	1	1	20	6
1984	Did not qualify										8	6	1	1	22	6
1988	Champions	1st	5	4	0	1	8	3	Squad		8	6	2	0	15	1
1992	Semi-finals	3rd	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad		8	6	1	1	17	2
1996	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	2	1	3	4	Squad		11	7	2	2	25	5
2000	Semi-finals	3rd	5	4	1	0	13	3	Squad		Qualified as hosts
2004	Semi-finals	3rd	5	1	2	2	7	6	Squad		10	7	1	2	26	7
2008	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	0	1	10	4	Squad		12	8	2	2	15	5
2012	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	2	5	Squad		10	9	0	1	37	8
2016	Did not qualify										10	4	1	5	17	14
2020	Round of 16	9th	4	3	0	1	8	4	Squad		8	6	1	1	24	7
2024	Semi-finals	3rd	6	3	1	2	10	7	Squad		8	6	0	2	17	7
2028	To be determined										To be determined
2032
Total	1 Title	11/17	45	23	9	13	75	48	—		125	83	16	26	291	99

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Olympic Games

More information Olympic Games record, Year ...

Olympic Games record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1908	Bronze medal	2	1	0	1	2	4	Squad
1912	Bronze medal	4	3	0	1	17	8	Squad
1920	Bronze medal	4	2	0	2	9	10	Squad
1924	Fourth place	5	2	1	2	11	7	Squad
1928	Round of 16	1	0	0	1	0	2	Squad
1936	Did not enter
1948	Round of 16	2	1	0	1	6	5	Squad
1952	Round of 16	1	0	0	1	1	5	Squad
1956	Did not enter
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984	Did not qualify
1988
Since 1992	See Netherlands national under-21 football team
Total	8/17	23	9	1	9	46	41	—

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Since 1992, the Olympic Games has been an under-23 tournament (with three players of over 23 years of age allowed in the squad).

UEFA Nations League

More information UEFA Nations League record, League phase / quarter-finals ...

UEFA Nations League record
League phase / quarter-finals													Finals										RK
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK		Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2018–19	A	1	1st	4	2	1	1	8	4		3rd		2019	Runners-up	2	1	0	1	3	2	Squad		2nd
2020–21	A	1	2nd	6	3	2	1	7	4		6th		2021	Did not qualify									6th
2022–23	A	4	1st	6	5	1	0	14	6		1st		2023	Fourth place	2	0	0	2	4	7	Squad		4th
2024–25	A	3	2nd	8	2	5	1	18	12		6th		2025	Did not qualify									6th
Total				24	12	9	3	47	26	N/A		Total		4	1	0	3	7	9	—	2nd

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Global

• FIFA World Cup
  • Runners-up (3): 1974, 1978, 2010
  • Third place (1): 2014
• Olympic Games
  • Bronze medal (3): 1908, 1912, 1920

Continental

• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 1988
  • Third place (1): 1976
• UEFA Nations League
  • Runners-up (1): 2019

Awards

• World Soccer Team of the Year: 1988

Summary

More information Competition, Total ...

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	3	1	4
Olympic Games	0	0	3	3
UEFA European Championship	1	0	1	2
UEFA Nations League	0	1	0	1
Total	1	4	5	10

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