Netherlands national football team

Total Football in the 1970s

The 1970s saw the invention of Total Football (Dutch: Totaalvoetbal), pioneered by Ajax and led by playmaker Johan Cruyff and national team head coach Rinus Michels. The Dutch made significant strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade. The captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Carlos Alberto, went on to say, "The only team I've seen that did things differently was Holland at the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Since then everything looks more or less the same to me... Their 'carousel' style of play was amazing to watch and marvellous for the game."^[7]

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, the team lost to West Germany in the final in Munich, despite having gone 1–0 up through Johan Neeskens' early penalty kick before a German had even touched the ball. However, a converted penalty by Paul Breitner and the winner from Gerd Müller led to a victory for the Germans.

The Dutch team before their 1–2 loss against West Germany in the final of the 1974 World Cup

By comparison, Euro '76 was a disappointment. The Netherlands lost in the semi-finals to Czechoslovakia, as much because of infighting within the squad and the coach George Knobel, as well as the skill of the eventual winners.

In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final of a World Cup, only to be beaten by hosts Argentina. This side played without Johan Cruyff, Willem van Hanegem and Jan van Beveren, who refused to participate in the World Cup. Nonetheless, it still contained Johan Neeskens, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Ruud Krol, Wim Jansen, Jan Jongbloed, Wim Suurbier and Rob Rensenbrink from the 1974 selection. The Netherlands were less impressive in the group stages. They qualified as runners-up, after a draw with Peru and a loss to Scotland. However, in the second group phase, the Netherlands topped a group including Italy and West Germany, setting up a final with Argentina. The Dutch finished as runners-up for the second World Cup in a row as they ultimately lost 3–1 after two extra time goals from Argentina. Rensenbrink hit the Argentinian post in the last minute of normal time, with the score 1–1.

Failure: 1982–86

Euro '80 was the last tournament for which the Total Football team qualified, but they did not advance past the group stage,^[8] despite the tournament format being expanded that year.

Veterans such as Krol and Rensenbrink retired soon afterwards and the Dutch team 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. Qualification for Euro 1984 was within reach, but the Dutch ended the campaign on the same number of points as rivals Spain, and the same goal difference (+16). Spain advanced having scored two more goals. The failure to reach the 1986 World Cup was also very close. In a play-off with neighbours Belgium, the Netherlands lost 1–0 in Brussels, but were leading 2–0 in the home leg in Rotterdam with a few minutes remaining. Belgium scored to end the tie 2–1, and overall play off 2–2. Belgium advanced on the away goals rule.

European champions

The 1988 trophy on display in Amsterdam

Rinus Michels

Rinus Michels returned, with his technical assistant Joris van Beek, 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-final by defeating England 3–1 (with a hat-trick by the tournament's top scorer Marco van Basten), and the Republic of Ireland (1–0). For many Dutch football supporters, the most important match in the tournament was the semi-final against West Germany, the host country, considered a revenge for the lost 1974 World Cup final (also in West Germany). Van Basten scored in the 89th minute to sink the German side.^[9] The Netherlands won the final with a victory over the USSR through a header by Ruud Gullit and a volley by Van Basten. This was the national team's first major tournament win, and it restored them to the forefront of international football for the next three years after almost a decade in the wilderness.

Despite high expectations as the team entered the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the tournament was not a success, as strife within the squad and managerial instability (Thijs Libregts took over from Michels only to be fired shortly after the team qualified, and was replaced by Leo Beenhakker for the finals) ultimately tore the team apart. Van Basten failed to score, as he was in poor form and tightly marked by opposing defenders, while Gullit was ineffective having not fully recovered from injury. The Dutch managed to advance despite drawing all three group games, meeting their arch-rivals West Germany in the round of 16. The match is most remembered for the spitting-incident involving Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler as the Netherlands lost 2–1.

The team reached the semi-finals in the Euro 1992 in Sweden, which was noted for the emergence of Dennis Bergkamp, but they were eliminated by eventual champions Denmark, with Van Basten's kick in the penalty shootout being saved by Peter Schmeichel. This was to be Van Basten's last major tournament as he suffered a serious ankle injury shortly after, eventually conceding defeat and retiring 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 himself would be replaced by Johan Cruyff the following year, although Advocaat actually stayed in charge for over two years. In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, in the absence of the injured Van Basten and the striking Gullit, 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.

Golden Generation: 1996–2014

At Euro 1996, after drawing with Scotland and beating Switzerland, the Dutch faced the hosts England in the Group A decider, and lost 4–1, with Patrick Kluivert's late consolation enough to finish second on goals scored. They then played France in the quarter-finals and lost on penalties.

Netherlands at Euro 96 in a match against Scotland at the Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England.

In the 1998 World Cup, a Dutch team including Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer and Kluivert met Argentina in the quarter-final and won 2–1,^[10] before losing on penalties to Brazil and in the third-place play-off to Croatia. Soon afterwards, manager Guus Hiddink resigned to be replaced by Frank Rijkaard. The Netherlands co-hosted Euro 2000 with Belgium and won all three wins 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 Netherlands 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.

Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup

Dick Advocaat returned to coach the Netherlands for a second time. In his first match, a 1–0 win over Spain on 27 March 2002, the Netherlands won the Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC). In addition, on 21 August, the Netherlands won Nasazzi's Baton, defeating Norway 1–0, unifying for the first time the two trophies. ^{[11] [12]} He led the team to the semi-finals of Euro 2004, where they lost to hosts Portugal.

The Netherlands qualified for the 2006 World Cup under new manager Marco van Basten and were eliminated in the second round after losing 1–0 to Portugal, in a match which produced 16 yellow cards (which matched 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 for either side); it was nicknamed "the Battle of Nuremberg" by the press.^[13] Despite criticism surrounding his selection policy and the lack of attacking football from his team, Van Basten was offered a two-year extension to his contract by the KNVB, which would allow him to serve as national coach during Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.^[14] The Netherlands qualified for Euro 2008, where they were drawn in the "Group of Death", together with France, Italy and Romania. They began with a 3–0 win over world champions Italy in Bern, a first victory over the Italians since 1978. 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. Following the tournament, Van Basten resigned to become manager of Ajax.

Netherlands – France at Euro 2008

Netherlands – Denmark at the 2010 World Cup

Under new coach Bert van Marwijk, the Dutch went on to secure a 100% record in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign to qualifying for the World Cup. In the quarter-finals against Brazil, the Brazilians held a 1–0 lead at half-time, having never lost in 37 World Cup matches (35–0–2) in which they had held a half-time lead. However, the Dutch scored twice to advance. In the semi-final, the Dutch beat Uruguay 3–2 to advance to their first World Cup final since 1978, where they would fall to Spain 1–0 after midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored in extra time. From August to September 2011, the team was ranked number one in the FIFA World Rankings, therefore becoming the second national football team, after Spain, to top the rankings without previously winning a World Cup.

For Euro 2012, the Netherlands were placed in Group B alongside with Germany, Portugal and Denmark, dubbed the tournament's "Group of Death." The Netherlands lost all three of its matches. Johan Cruyff criticised the team's star players of poor build up play and sloppy execution of the easy passes,^[15][16] while manager Bert van Marwijk resigned after the disappointment.^[17]

Louis van Gaal then became 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, with Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben scoring two goals each, and Stefan de Vrij the other. After the Dutch fell behind 1–0 from conceding a penalty, Van Persie equalized just before half time with an acrobatic diving header that gave him the nickname "The Flying Dutchman".^[18]

The Dutch team leaves the field after losing to Argentina

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 controversial penalty after a foul on Arjen Robben in stoppage time. In the quarter-finals, where they faced Costa Rica, the Dutch had many shots on goal but could not score, with the match finishing in a 0–0 draw after extra time. The Netherlands won the ensuing penalty shootout 4–3 in large part due to backup goalkeeper Tim Krul, who was brought on just before the end of extra time and made two saves, marking the first time in World Cup history a goalkeeper was brought onto the field solely to participate in a shootout.^[19] In the semi-final against Argentina, the Netherlands had a good chance to score from Arjen Robben while managing to contain Lionel Messi, and both teams finished scoreless after extra time. However, in penalty kicks, the Dutch were eliminated 4–2, with Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder having their spot kicks saved by Sergio Romero.^[20] The Netherlands won the third-place match against hosts Brazil. Van Gaal, who successfully motivated the team after their semi-final knockout,^[21] received praise for getting more out of the young and inexperienced Netherlands squad than many expected.^[22][23] He left to become manager of Manchester United.

Decline and crisis: 2014–2018

Van Gaal was followed up by Guus Hiddink for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. This decision would result in a disastrous situation for the Dutch national team. A combination of bad luck, terrible leadership and simply a lack of quality would ultimately result in two missed tournaments. When Hiddink started in September 2014, it soon became clear that he wasn't capable of doing his job anymore. Some journalists even talked about early senile dementia which included restricted memory, especially of recent match events and players, and reduced problem solving ability.^[24] All the same, he made a very confused impression and constantly changed tactics. After losses against Italy, Czech Republic, Iceland and Mexico in 2014 (most of these results being due to tactical errors) it was already clear that he wouldn't finish his job. In June 2015, a 3-1 lead against the United States was forfeited, the final score being 3-4. Again, Hiddink was largely responsible for this defeat, changing his complete midfield for attacking players. The KNVB realised this couldn't continue anymore and pressured a confused Hiddink to resign his job.

On 29 June 2015, Hiddink resigned and was succeeded by assistant Danny Blind. The Netherlands came fourth in their group, failing to qualify for the European Championship for the first time since 1984 and a major tournament for the first time since the 2002 World Cup.^[25][26] This was particularly criticized since Euro 2016 had been expanded to become the first European Championship with 24 teams: the Dutch therefore managed to miss out both on two automatic qualifying spots and also on a playoff spot, whereas previous tournaments had only provided one automatic spot and one playoff spot. 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 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in Group A behind France and Sweden.^[27]

New hope and recovery: 2018–present

Koeman succeeded Dick Advocaat in early 2018 and his first job was to recover the status of the team. However, when he started it was clear he would get a very difficult job with a schedule against 8 different top teams in 2018. The first game under Koeman ended in a toothless 0-1 loss against England. Koeman was able to recover his team afterwards and booked a very impressive 3-0 win against Holland's most feared opponent: Portugal.

In the following matches, Koeman was able to limit the damage. Draws against Slovakia and Italy were followed by a 2-1 victory over Peru. On 9 September 2018, the Dutch made their debut in the Nations League against World Cup champions France. The game ended in a 2-1 loss, but media reports were positive.

Koeman was thus able to limit the damage, preparing the team for a better time and more luck in 2019.

Kits and crest

Dutch fans wearing the traditional orange colours at a 2006 World Cup match in Stuttgart

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 titles of the ruling head of state, Prince of Orange, which is also the colour of the same name. The current Dutch away shirt is blue.

Nike is the kit provider to the national team, a sponsorship that began in 1996 and is contracted to continue until at least 2026.^[28]

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Adidas	1970–1990
Lotto	1991–1996	Lotto kits in UEFA Euro 1996
Nike	1996–present

Kit deals

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Kit supplier	Period	Contract date	Contract duration	Value	Notes
Nike	2001–2026

Rivalries

Netherlands' long-time football rival is Germany. The rivalry is one of the few long-standing football rivalries at a national level. Beginning in 1974, when the Dutch lost the 1974 World Cup to West Germany in the final (though deeply rooted in Dutch anti-German sentiment due to the occupation of the Netherlands by Germany during World War II), the rivalry between the two nations has become one of the best-known international football rivalries in the world.^[29]

To a minor extent, the Netherlands maintains a rivalry with their other neighbours, Belgium; a Belgian-Dutch (football) duel is referred to as a Low Countries derby. More recently, the Netherlands have also developed a rivalry with Spain.^[30] This recent rivalry began in 2010, when Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time in the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Four years later, the Netherlands routed Spain 5-1 in a rematch in the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, contributing to Spain's early exit from the tournament.

Current squad

The following players were called for the Nations League against Germany and the friendly match match against Belgium 13 and 16 October 2018 respectively.
Caps and goals updated as of 13 October 2018, after the match against Germany.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jasper Cillessen	(1989-04-22) 22 April 1989	43	0	Barcelona
13	1GK	Jeroen Zoet	(1991-01-06) 6 January 1991	11	0	PSV
23	1GK	Marco Bizot	(1991-03-10) 10 March 1991	0	0	AZ
3	2DF	Matthijs de Ligt	(1999-08-12) 12 August 1999	10	0	Ajax
4	2DF	Virgil van Dijk (Captain)	(1991-07-08) 8 July 1991	22	2	Liverpool
5	2DF	Daley Blind	(1990-03-09) 9 March 1990	57	2	Ajax
14	2DF	Stefan de Vrij	(1992-02-05) 5 February 1992	36	3	Internazionale
15	2DF	Nathan Aké	(1995-02-18) 18 February 1995	8	1	Bournemouth
	2DF	Patrick van Aanholt	(1990-08-29) 29 August 1990	8	0	Crystal Palace
12	2DF	Hans Hateboer	(1994-01-09) 9 January 1994	2	0	Atalanta
2	2DF	Denzel Dumfries	(1996-04-18) 18 April 1996	1	0	PSV
	3MF	Davy Pröpper	(1991-09-02) 2 September 1991	13	3	Brighton & Hove Albion
7	3MF	Frenkie de Jong	(1997-05-12) 12 May 1997	3	0	Ajax
8	3MF	Georginio Wijnaldum	(1990-11-11) 11 November 1990	51	9	Liverpool
16	3MF	Kevin Strootman	(1990-02-13) 13 February 1990	42	3	Marseille
17	3MF	Donny van de Beek	(1997-04-18) 18 April 1997	4	0	Ajax
6	3MF	Marten de Roon	(1991-03-29) 29 March 1991	6	0	Atalanta
21	3MF	Tonny Vilhena	(1995-01-03) 3 January 1995	12	0	Feyenoord
24	3MF	Pablo Rosario	(1997-01-07) 7 January 1997	0	0	PSV
20	4FW	Quincy Promes	(1992-01-04) 4 January 1992	31	5	Sevilla
10	4FW	Memphis Depay	(1994-02-13) 13 February 1994	41	12	Lyon
11	4FW	Ryan Babel	(1986-12-19) 19 December 1986	52	8	Beşiktaş
19	4FW	Luuk de Jong	(1990-08-27) 27 August 1990	13	4	PSV
9	4FW	Steven Bergwijn	(1997-10-08) 8 October 1997	1	0	PSV
22	4FW	Arnaut Groeneveld	(1997-01-31) 31 January 1997	1	0	Club Brugge

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Sergio Padt	(1990-06-06) 6 June 1990	0	0	Groningen	v.  France, 9 September 2018
GK	Michel Vorm	(1983-10-20) 20 October 1983	15	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Scotland, 9 November 2017 INJ
DF	Kenny Tete	(1995-10-09) 9 October 1995	11	0	Lyon	v.  France, 9 September 2018
DF	Daryl Janmaat	(1989-07-22) 22 July 1989	34	0	Watford	v.  France, 9 September 2018
DF	Terence Kongolo	(1994-02-14) 14 February 1994	4	0	Huddersfield Town	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
DF	Timothy Fosu-Mensah	(1998-01-02) 2 January 1998	3	0	Fulham	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
DF	Jeffrey Bruma	(1991-11-13) 13 November 1991	25	1	VfL Wolfsburg	v.  England, 23 March 2018 PRE
DF	Karim Rekik	(1994-12-02) 2 December 1994	4	0	Hertha BSC	v.  England, 23 March 2018 PRE
DF	Joël Veltman	(1992-01-15) 15 January 1992	19	2	Ajax	v.  Romania, 14 November 2017
DF	Wesley Hoedt	(1994-03-06) 6 March 1994	6	0	Southampton	v.  Scotland, 9 November 2017 INJ
MF	Ruud Vormer	(1988-05-11) 11 May 1988	4	0	Club Brugge	v.  France, 9 September 2018
MF	Guus Til	(1997-12-22) 22 December 1997	1	0	AZ	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
MF	Marco van Ginkel	(1992-12-01) 1 December 1992	8	0	Chelsea	v.  Romania, 14 November 2017
FW	Justin Kluivert	(1999-05-05) 5 May 1999	2	0	Roma	v.  France, 9 September 2018
FW	Eljero Elia	(1987-02-13) 13 February 1987	30	2	İstanbul Başakşehir	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
FW	Steven Berghuis	(1991-12-19) 19 December 1991	14	0	Feyenoord	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
FW	Wout Weghorst	(1992-08-07) 7 August 1992	3	0	VfL Wolfsburg	v.  Peru, 6 September 2018 PRE
FW	Vincent Janssen	(1994-06-15) 15 June 1994	17	7	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Scotland, 9 November 2017 INJ
FW	Jürgen Locadia	(1993-11-07) 7 November 1993	0	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Scotland, 9 November 2017 INJ
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player had announced retirement from national team. SUS Player is serving suspension.

Previous squads

2017

Bulgaria  v  Netherlands

25 March 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	Bulgaria	2–0	Netherlands	Sofia, Bulgaria
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2)	Delev  5', 20'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)		Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 10,900 Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland)

Netherlands  v  Italy

28 March 2017 Friendly	Netherlands	1–2	Italy	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)	Romagnoli  10' (o.g.)		Éder  11' Bonucci  32'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 46,228 Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)

Morocco  v  Netherlands

31 May 2017 Friendly	Morocco	1–2	Netherlands	Agadir, Morocco
20:30 (UTC +02:00)	Boussoufa  73'		Promes  22' Janssen  68'	Stadium: Stade Adrar Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Mahamadou Keita (Mali)

Netherlands  v  Ivory Coast

4 June 2017 Friendly	Netherlands	5–0	Ivory Coast	Rotterdam, Netherlands
19:30 CEST (UTC+02:00)	Veltman  13', 36' Robben  32' Klaassen  69' Janssen  75'			Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 33,500 Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)

Netherlands  v  Luxembourg

9 June 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	Netherlands	5–0	Luxembourg	Rotterdam, Netherlands
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Robben  21' Sneijder  34' Wijnaldum  62' Promes  70' Janssen  84' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)		Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 41,300 Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)

France  v  Netherlands

31 August 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	France	4–0	Netherlands	Saint-Denis, France
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Griezmann  14' Lemar  73', 88' Mbappé  90+1'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)		Stadium: Stade de France Attendance: 79,551 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)

Netherlands  v  Bulgaria

3 September 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	Netherlands	3–1	Bulgaria	Amsterdam, Netherlands
18:00 (18:00 UTC+2)	Pröpper  7', 80' Robben  67'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)	Kostadinov  69'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 47,079 Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)

Belarus  v  Netherlands

7 October 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	Belarus	1–3	Netherlands	Barysaw, Belarus
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	Valadzko  55'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)	Propper  24' Robben  84' (pen.) Depay  90+3'	Stadium: Borisov Arena Attendance: 6,850 Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Netherlands  v  Sweden

10 October 2017 2018 FIFA World Cup Q	Netherlands	2–0	Sweden	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 (UTC+2)	Robben  16', 40'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)		Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 41,244 Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)

Scotland  v  Netherlands

9 November 2017 Friendly	Scotland	0–1	Netherlands	Aberdeen, Scotland
19:45 (20:45 UTC+2)		Report	Depay  40'	Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 17,883 Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)

Romania  v  Netherlands

14 November 2017 (2017-11-14) Friendly	Romania	0–3	Netherlands	Bucharest, Romania
19:00		Report	Depay  47' Babel  57' De Jong  81'	Stadium: Arena Națională Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Christos Nikolaidis (Cyprus)

2018

Netherlands  v  England

23 March 2018 Friendly	Netherlands	0–1	England	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET		Report	Lingard  59'	Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Attendance: 51,500 Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Spain)

Portugal  v  Netherlands

26 March 2018 Friendly	Portugal	0–3	Netherlands	Genève, Switzerland
20:30 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Depay  11' Babel  32' Van Dijk  45+2'	Stadium: Stade de Genève Attendance: 20,006 Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)

Slovakia  v  Netherlands

31 May 2018 Friendly	Slovakia	1–1	Netherlands	Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Nemec  8'	Report	Promes  59'	Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského Attendance: 15,432 Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)

Italy  v  Netherlands

4 June 2018 Friendly	Italy	1–1	Netherlands	Turin, Italy
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Zaza  67'	Report	Aké  88'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 20,500 Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (Russia)

Netherlands  v  Peru

6 September 2018 Friendly	Netherlands	2–1	Peru	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Depay  60', 83'	Report	Aquino  13'	Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)

France  v  Netherlands

9 September 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.	France	2–1	Netherlands	Saint–Denis, France
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Mbappé  14' Giroud  75'	Report	Babel  67'	Stadium: Stade de France Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

Netherlands  v  Germany

13 October 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.	Netherlands	3–0	Germany	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Van Dijk  30' Depay  87' Wijnaldum  90+3'	Report		Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

Belgium  v  Netherlands

16 October 2018 Friendly	Belgium	v	Netherlands	Brussels, Belgium
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)		Report		Stadium: King Baudouin Stadium

Netherlands  v  France

16 November 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.	Netherlands	v	France	Rotterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET (UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: De Kuip

Germany  v  Netherlands

19 November 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.	Germany	v	Netherlands	Gelsenkirchen, Germany
20:45 CET (UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Veltins-Arena

Most capped players

Wesley Sneijder is the most capped player in the history of Netherlands with 134 caps.

Last updated: 6 September 2018
Source: voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch)

Top goalscorers

Striker Robin van Persie is the top scorer in the history of Netherlands with 50 goals.

Last updated: 6 September 2018
Source: voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch)

FIFA World Cup record

Netherlands's FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Declined participation
1934	Round 1	9th	1	0	0	1	2	3		2	2	0	0	9	4
1938		14th	1	0	0	1	0	3		2	1	1	0	5	1
1950	Did not enter									Declined participation
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		6	4	2	0	24	2
1978	Runners-Up	2nd	7	3	2	2	15	10		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		6	4	2	0	8	2
1994	Quarter-finals	7th	5	3	0	2	8	6		10	6	3	1	29	9
1998	Fourth Place	4th	7	3	3	1	13	7		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		12	10	2	0	27	3
2010	Runners-Up	2nd	7	6	0	1	12	6		8	8	0	0	17	2
2014	Third Place	3rd	7	5	2	0	15	4		10	9	1	0	34	5
2018	Did not qualify									10	6	1	3	21	12
2022	To be determined									To be determined
2026
Total	Runners-Up	10/21	50	27	12	11	86	48	123	80	24	19	291	92

Summer Olympics

Host nation(s) / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1908	Third Place	2	1	0	1	2	4
1912	Third Place	4	3	0	1	17	8
1920	Third Place	4	2	0	2	9	10
1924	Fourth Place	5	2	1	2	11	7
1928	Round 1	1	0	0	1	0	2
1948	Round 1	2	1	0	1	6	5
1952	Preliminary Round	1	0	0	1	1	5
Total	7/10	23	9	1	9	46	41

UEFA European Championship

	UEFA European Championship record
	Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
	1960	Did not enter
	1964	Did not qualify
	1968
	1972
	1976	Third Place	2	1	0	1	4	5
	1980	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	4	4
	1984	Did not qualify
	1988	Champions	5	4	0	1	8	3
	1992	Semi-finals	4	2	2	0	6	3
	1996	Quarter-finals	4	1	2	1	3	4
	2000	Semi-finals	5	4	1	0	13	3
	2004	Semi-finals	5	1	2	2	7	6
	2008	Quarter-finals	4	3	0	1	10	4
	2012	Group Stage	3	0	0	3	2	5
	2016	Did not qualify
	2020	To be determined
	2024
	Total	1 Title	35	17	8	10	57	37

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1992	Did not enter
1995	Did not qualify
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021	To be determined
Total		0/10	0	0	0	0	0	0

UEFA Nations League

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Other Tournaments

• Olympic Football Consolation Tournament
  • Winners: 1928
• 75th Anniversary FIFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 1979
• World Champions' Gold Cup
  • Fourth Place: 1980
• Copa Confraternidad
  • Runners-up: 2011