Current FIFA Ranking: 7
Highest FIFA Ranking: 1 (August 2011)
Lowest FIFA Ranking: 36 (August 2017)
Football Team Nickname: Oranje
Honours: European Championship (1): 1988
Head coach: Ronald Koeman (second spell, since Jan 2023)
Top scorer in qualifying: Memphis Depay (8)
Star players: Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Having failed to qualify in 2018, the Netherlands reached the quarter-final in Qatar where they lost on penalties to Argentina in what has been dubbed ‘the Battle of Lusail’ after a World Cup record 18 yellow cards (and 1 red) were shown by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
The nation with the most appearances in the final match without winning (3 – in 1974, 1978 and 2010), Ronaldo Koeman has been hired once more in the hope of bringing a first World Cup title and just a second major honour after Euro 1988.
Oranje will be counting on Memphis Depay who became the nations’ all-time leading scorer in Sept 2025.
Previous World Cup appearances (11):
2022: Quarter-final (2-2 v Argentina aet, 3-4 on pens)
2014: Third
2010: Runners-up
2006: Round of 16
1998: Fourth
1994: Quarter-final
1990: Round of 16
1978: Runners-up
1974: Runners-up
1938: First round
1934: Preliminary round
