Netherlands entered into the quarter-finals as undefeated. They have cleared the group stages without losing a single match and won their first knockout match into the round of 16 against USA. So clearly, they are looking in amazing form and have the capabilities to win this World Cup. Can three times Runners-up Netherlands will finally achieve the World Cup trophy? Let’s quickly go through the history of Netherlands in the World Cup matches.
History of Netherlands in World Cup matches
| 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 | Round of 16 | 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 | Qualified | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2026 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| Total | Runners-up | 11/22 | 50 | 27 | 12 | 11 | 86 | 48 | — |
Let’s have look at their best performance on World Cup stages till now.
Runners-up in 1974, 1978, and 2010
Semi-Finalists in 1998 and 2014
Quarter-Finalists in 1994 and now in 2022
Round of 16 in 1934, 1938, 1990, and in 2006
Netherlands World Cup records are pretty good. They were Runners-up in 1974, 1978, and in 2010. They are a little bit unlucky three times but this year they will try to achieve the trophy. Despite not having World Cup trophies in their bucket, Netherlands is one of the most successful footballing countries on the planet. They had many greatest footballers in their history. Let me introduce you to some great Dutch footballers of all time.
Greatest Dutch Footballers of All Time
1. Johan Cruyff
Position: Attacking Midfielder / Forward
Caps: 48
Goals: 33
2. Marco van Basten
Position: Striker
Caps: 58
Goals: 24
3. Dennis Bergkamp
Position: Forward
Caps: 79
Goals: 37
4. Robin van Persie
Position: Forward
Caps: 102
Goals: 50
5. Arjen Robben
Position: Winger
Caps: 96
Goals: 37
These are really big names not just for Netherlands but for FIFA history. You can say, Netherlands is the most successful FIFA nation of all time. Apart from three-time Runners-up, They have achieved four-time Round of 16, two-time Quarter finalists, and one-time Semi-Finalist. This clearly shows how successful they are in the World Cup stages.
Current Netherlands Squad
Now let’s have a look at their current squad. The current Netherlands squad is looking perfect and they have the capabilities to bit any team in this World Cup. Their playing style, their passing accuracy, their attack, and even their physical strength, everything looks amazing. Have a look at their complete squad.
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Captain: Virgil van Dijk
Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert, Remko Pasveer.
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Jurrien Timber, Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong.
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Cody Gakpo, Maarten de Roon, Kenneth Taylor, Xavi Simons.
Forwards: Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst.
Just having a perfect squad is not important. Every player’s fitness and form are equally important to win the game. And Netherlands squad is perfect in this aspect as well. All the Dutch players are looking into the great form. Cody Gakpo scored goals in three consecutive group matches which is a great sign for Netherlands. Even Memphis Depay in his first appearance and Daley Blind as a defender scored goals in the knockout match of the round of 16 against USA. Which shows how confident they are to move forward and how deep finishing they do have in their squad. Netherlands can be a headache for big giants like Brazil, France, and England. Most important from Netherlands aspect is the tremendous form of Denzel Dumfries. Netherlands’s three goals against USA came in the contribution of Denzel Dumfries one from himself and two with his assist.
How Netherlands can win this World Cup
Here is the possible way for Netherlands to win this 2022 World Cup title. From every group, we have selected some possible winners who might face Netherlands.
Round of 16 – Netherlands vs USA
Netherlands already beat USA and entered into the quarter-finals.
Quarter-Finals – Netherlands vs Argentina
If Netherlands win this match, they will reach the semi-finals
Semi-Finals – Netherlands vs Brazil
If Netherlands beat Brazil, they will reach the finals.
Finals – Netherlands vs England
By defeating England, Netherlands could be the winner of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.
This is the possible way for Netherlands to win this World Cup title. Let’s see what they can do in future matches. But you can’t deny, they have the capabilities to do so. What’s your opinion on this? Leave your comment in the comment section below.
Editors Choice: Can Messi’s Argentina Win FIFA World Cup 2022?
Croatia vs Brazil Quarter Final
England vs France Quarter Final
