About The Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team is led by the Royal Dutch Football Association and participates in international competitions. Nicknamed the "Oranje," in the 1970s, the legendary Dutch coach Rinus Michels brought the "Total Football" tactic, which he inherited from English coach Jimmy Hogan, to the Dutch national team and launched a challenge for the World Cup.

World Cup history

In World Cup history, the Netherlands have reached the final three times but unfortunately finished as runners-up each time. They narrowly lost to West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978 in the finals. At the 2010 World Cup, they competed with Spain for the title in the final but lost 0-1 after conceding a goal in extra time. At the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands, led by coach Louis van Gaal, drew 0-0 with Argentina in the semi-finals and were eliminated 2-4 in the penalty shootout, regrettably missing out on the final; in the third-place play-off, the Netherlands defeated Brazil 3-0 to claim the bronze medal. The Netherlands are known as the "Uncrowned Kings" of the World Cup.

Current Situation

In 1988, the Netherlands won the European Championship. Their thrilling high-scoring victories in the 2000 and 2008 European Championships left a deep impression. In the 2016 European Championship qualifiers, the Netherlands only finished fourth in their group and were eliminated. Afterwards, the team regrouped and made a new attempt to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. After a tough qualifying campaign, they narrowly finished third in the group due to an inferior goal difference and were eliminated. In 2021, the Netherlands topped their group with three wins in the European Championship group stage but lost to the Czech Republic in the round of 16.

As of 2017, the Dutch national team had achieved 397 wins, 172 draws, and 219 losses in 788 matches, with a total score of 1616-1023 and a goal difference of 593, ranking among the top in Europe. In November 2022, the Netherlands national men's football team participated in the 22nd FIFA World Cup.

As of July 2025, they rank 7th in the world.