Elftal Excelsior (22 September 1963)

The Netherlands national football team ( or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

The team is colloquially referred to as ''Het Nederlands Elftal'' (The Dutch Eleven) or ''Oranje'', after the House of Orange-Nassau and their distinctive orange jerseys. Informally the team, like the country itself, is referred to as ''Holland''. Additionally, their fan club is known as ''Het Oranje Legioen'' (The Orange Legion).

The Netherlands has competed in eleven FIFA World Cups, appearing in the final three times (in 1974, 1978 and 2010), finishing as runners-up on all three occasions. They have also appeared in eleven UEFA European Championships, winning the 1988 tournament in West Germany. Additionally, the team has won bronze medals at three Olympic football tournaments, in 1908, 1912 and 1920. The Netherlands has long-standing football rivalries with neighbours Belgium and Germany as well as the South American country of Argentina.

History

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. Some historians, however, attribute one of the goals scored to Willem Hesselink.

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. 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.

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, losing to Sweden in a replay.

After being eliminated in the first round at the 1928 Summer Olympics on home turf, they skipped the first World Cup in 1930 due to the cost of travel from Europe to South America. 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. A second appearance at the 1938 World Cup resulted in a first-round elimination against Czechoslovakia.

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 and Brazil in 1952.

Total football in the 1970s and first golden generation

During the 1970s, the team adopted the Total Football () 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."

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.

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

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. Willem van Hanegem also declined to play after his AZ teammate Hugo Hovenkamp had to pull out. Hanegem had also fallen out with the Dutch coach, Ernst Happel. The squad still had players like Jan Jongbloed, Wim Suurbier and Ruud Krol from the previous World Cup. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

The Netherlands was one of the favourites for the 1990 World Cup tournament in Italy, but they scored only two goals in the group stage which featured England, Egypt and the Republic of Ireland. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. In the World Cup, Van Basten and striker Ruud Gullit were injured; 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.

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. 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. 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.

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

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; it was nicknamed "the Battle of Nuremberg" by the press. 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. 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, 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.

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 and Slovakia 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. They advanced to their first World Cup final since 1978 but fell 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 Ranking, 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". 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.

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.

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. 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.

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

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. 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.

In February 2018, Advocaat was replaced by Ronald Koeman, on a contract until the summer of 2022. 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. The Netherlands beat England in the semi-finals of the Nations League, but lost 1–0 in the final against Portugal.

The Netherlands qualified for UEFA Euro 2020, 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. He was replaced by Louis van Gaal, who came out of retirement to return for a third spell in charge of the side. 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. 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.

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. In the round of 16, the Netherlands won 3–0 against Romania. 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. In the semi-final, they were eliminated by England after a late goal.

Team image

Kits and crest

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. 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. Before that the team was supplied by Adidas and Lotto.

Kit suppliers

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.

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 126 matches with the two competing against each other regularly between 1905 and 1964. This has diminished due to the rise of semi-professional football.

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.

Home stadium

The Netherlands national team does not have a national stadium but plays mostly at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. It played host to its first Netherlands international game back in 1997, a 1998 World Cup qualification match against San Marino which the Netherlands won 4–0. It was formally called the Amsterdam Arena until 2018 when it was renamed in memory of Johan Cruyff.

Over the last few years, De Kuip in Rotterdam has hosted matches regularly and historically very often. Occasionally, matches take place at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven and also sometimes at the De Grolsch Veste in Enschede.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were included in the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Finland and Malta on 7 and 10 June 2025, respectively.

''Caps and goals are correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against Malta.''

Recent call-ups

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

^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.

Individual statistics

Player records

:''Players in bold are still active with the Netherlands.''

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Manager records

* Most wins: Louis van Gaal, 74 wins
* Longest reign: Bob Glendenning, 15 years
* Most tenures: Rinus Michels, 4 tenures

Team records

* Biggest win:
** 11–0 (Eindhoven, Netherlands; 2 September 2011)

* Biggest defeat:
** 12–2 (Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)

Competitive record

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).

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. 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.

The 1990 edition saw the Netherlands not win a single game throughout the tournament, scoring only two goals in the group stage. 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. 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, however, it was by penalties. 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.

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. 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. In the semi-finals, they defeated Uruguay in a tough game for the Netherlands, making their first World Cup final since 1978. In the final, they took on Spain, with La Roja scoring the winning goal in the 116th minute.

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

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.

UEFA European Championship

Olympic Games

UEFA Nations League

FIFA Ranking

''Last update was on 21 December 2023.''
Source:The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Netherlands - Men's

Worst Ranking   Best Ranking   Worst Mover   Best Mover  

Honours

Major competitions

* FIFA World Cup
** Runners-up (3): 1974, 1978, 2010
** Third place (1): 2014
* UEFA European Championship
** Champions (1): 1988
** Third place (1): 1976
* UEFA Nations League
** Runners-up (1): 2019
* Olympic Games
** Bronze medal (3): 1908, 1912, 1920

Friendly

* Tournoi de Paris
** Champions (1): 1978

Awards

* World Soccer Team of the Year: 1988

Summary

See also

* Netherlands national under-21 football team
* Netherlands national under-19 football team
* Netherlands national under-17 football team

Notes

References

External links

*

voetbalstats.nl – statistics of the national football team


Netherlands
at UEFA

Netherlands
at FIFA

Netherlands internationals
at the RSSSF archive

Netherlands managers
at the RSSSF archive

{{DEFAULTSORT:Netherlands National Football Team


European national association football teams
UEFA European Championship–winning countries
1905 establishments in the Netherlands
National sports teams established in 1905