Dutch national football team / world championships

Netherlands
Nederland

World Cup record goalscorer:	Johnny Rep (7)
World Cup record players:	Wesley Sneijder (17)
Rank :	8th
Balance sheet
50 World Cup games 27 wins 12 draws 11 defeats 86:48 goals
statistics
First World Cup game Netherlands 2: 3 Switzerland Milan ( ITA ); May 27, 1934
Biggest World Cup victory Netherlands 5-0 South Korea Marseille ( FRA ); June 20, 1998
Biggest World Cup defeat Netherlands 0: 3 Czechoslovakia Le Havre ( FRA ); June 5, 1938
successes
World Championship
Participation in the finals	10 ( first : 1934 )
Best results	Vice world champion, 1974 , 1978 , 2010
Best placements in the countries that host the FIFA World Cup
(Status: after the 2018 World Cup )

The article contains a detailed description of the Dutch national soccer team at soccer world championships . So far, the Dutch have participated in world championships ten times.

Overview

The Dutch have taken part in ten finals and made it to the finals three times, most recently in 2010. However, they have not yet won a world championship title. As one of the few national teams, the Dutch have never been eliminated in the World Cup group stage, but in the first two appearances after the first game. In the all-time table , the Dutch team, as the best team that never became world champions, is in eighth place, ahead of the first world champions Uruguay. Concerning. of points per game, the Dutch occupy fourth place with 1.86 points.

year	Host country	Participation until ...	Last opponent	Result	Trainer	Comments and special features
1930	Uruguay	not participated
1934	Italy	Round of 16	Switzerland	9.	Bob Glendenning
1938	France	Round of 16	Czechoslovakia	14th	Bob Glendenning
1950	Brazil	not participated
1954	Switzerland	not allowed				Application was submitted too late
1958	Sweden	not qualified				In the qualification of Austria failed
1962	Chile	not qualified				In the qualification of Hungary failed
1966	England	not qualified				In qualifying at the Switzerland failed
1970	Mexico	not qualified				In the qualification of Bulgaria failed
1974	BR Germany	final	Germany	Vice world champion	Rinus Michels
1978	Argentina	final	Argentina	Vice world champion	Ernst Happel	Defeat in extra time
1982	Spain	not qualified				In the qualification of France and Belgium failed
1986	Mexico	not qualified				In the qualification of Belgium failed
1990	Italy	Round of 16	Germany	15th	Leo Beenhakker
1994	United States	Quarter finals	Brazil	7th	Dick Advocaat
1998	France	3rd place match	Croatia	Fourth	Guus Hiddink	Semi-final on penalties against Brazil
2002	South Korea / Japan	not qualified				In the qualification of Portugal and Ireland failed
2006	Germany	Round of 16	Portugal	11.	Marco van Basten	Yellow-red record
2010	South Africa	final	Spain	Vice world champion	Bert van Marwijk	Defeat in extra time
2014	Brazil	3rd place match	Brazil	Third	Louis van Gaal	In the finals, the first group match saw the 2010 World Cup final against Spain (5-1 win).
2018	Russia	not qualified				In the qualification of France and Sweden failed

Scene in front of the Swiss goal at the first World Cup game for the Dutch

Statistics (data including 2018: 21 World Championships; percentages are rounded)

• Participation waiver: 2 × (10%; 1930, 1950)
• Not permitted: 1 × (5%; 1954)
• Unqualified: 8 × (38%; 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 2002 and 2018)
• Athletic qualification: 10 × (48% or 56% of the attempts)
  • Round of 16: 4 × (19%; 1934, 1938, 1990, 2006)
  • Quarter-finals: 1 × (5%; 1994)
  • Match for 3rd place: 2 × (10%, 1998, 2014)
    • Fourth: 1 × (5%; 1998)
    • Third: 1 × (5%; 2014)
  • Final: 3 × (14%; 1974, 1978 and 2010)
    • Vice world champion: 3 × (14%; 1974, 1978 and 2010)

Most frequent last opponents: Brazil and Germany (2 × each) - only 1 game won.

World Cup tournaments

1930 in Uruguay

Like most European teams, the Dutch did not take part in the first World Cup, although Uruguay and Argentina had taken part in the Amsterdam Olympics two years earlier .

1934 in Italy

For the first World Cup in Europe , the Dutch had to go through two games against neighbors Belgium and Ireland qualify , each team one home and one away game had. The Dutch won both games, Belgium drew in Ireland and conceded one less goal than Ireland, which meant that the two neighbors qualified for Italy. There both were eliminated in the second round, the Belgians against Germany and the Dutch against Switzerland with 2: 3.

1938 in France

The Dutch team

Netherlands against Czechoslovakia in the only World Cup game in Le Havre

For the first World Cup in France , the Dutch had to get back together with Belgium, but this time against Luxembourg qualify . Both won their games against Luxembourg and drew against each other, so that both could travel to the World Cup finals again. Like four years before, the round of 16 ended again, with the Dutch only losing 3-0 in extra time against vice world champions Czechoslovakia .

1950 in Brazil

The Dutch did not take part in the second World Cup in South America .

1954 in Switzerland

For the football World Cup in 1954 , the Dutch Football Association, like several other countries, submitted the registration too late and was therefore not allowed to qualify.

1958 in Sweden

The Dutch team could not qualify for the 1958 World Cup and had to give way to Austria , the third place in the 1954 World Cup, after a defeat and a draw. Both games were only won against Luxembourg.

1962 in Chile

To qualify for the third World Cup in South America , the Dutch team was drawn into a group with Hungary and the GDR, which was participating for the first time . After Hungary had won both games against the GDR and the game in the Netherlands, while the GDR and the Netherlands parted 1: 1 in East Berlin , the Hungarians were already qualified, while the other two had no chance to qualify . Under pressure from NATO , the GDR players were refused entry to the Netherlands as a reaction to the construction of the Berlin Wall . The game was - because it was insignificant - not rated. In Hungary a worthless 3: 3 was achieved at the end.

1966 in England

Even four years later, the qualification failed . This time Switzerland was too strong, drew in the Netherlands and won the home game against the Dutch. In addition, the Dutch had lost in Northern Ireland and only played a draw against the Northern Irish at home. Only against Albania , which participated for the first time, both games could be won. The Swiss then benefited from the only point win by the Albanians, who scored 1-1 against Northern Ireland in their home country Tirana .

1970 in Mexico

Again, the Dutch could not qualify. In a group with Bulgaria , Poland and Luxembourg only the third place was taken. After qualifying, the heyday of Dutch club football began and Feyenoord Rotterdam and Ajax Amsterdam won the European Cup four times in a row from 1970 to 1973 , which also gave hope for the national team.

1974 in the Federal Republic of Germany

Johan Cruyff shortly before the foul in the first minute of the game

Johan Neeskens made it 1-0

After 36 years of absence from the stage of world football, the Dutch were able to Johan Cruyff under Rinus Michels with " Totaalvoetbal " for the World Cup in neighboring qualify . Belgium, which were played 0-0 twice, Norway and Iceland were relegated to the places, with the better goal difference compared to their neighbors from Belgium with the same points being decisive. Before the last game, the two neighbors had points 9-1, but a draw was enough for the Dutch, while Belgium had to win in Amsterdam . The two met on November 18, 1973 in the Olympic Stadium , which was full despite the nationwide driving ban due to the oil crisis . The score was 0-0 up to the 89th minute, when Belgium's Jan Verheyen extended a Paul van Himst free-kick into the goal, but referee Pawel Kazakow ruled offside . If the goal had counted, Belgium would have qualified.

At the finals in Germany , ex-world champions Uruguay were defeated 2-0 in the opening game , a goalless draw against Sweden and Bulgaria 4-1 defeated. Thus, the Dutch reached the first-ever second final round as group winners, in which Argentina was defeated 4-0 and the GDR 2-0 before the decisive game for the final against defending champions Brazil . In a game played very hard by the Brazilians, the Dutch were able to prevail 2-0 and reach the final for the first time. In this they met the host and were considered favorites. In the first minute of the game, before a German player could touch the ball, Cruyff was fouled just beyond the edge of the German penalty area and the earliest penalty kick in World Cup history was given. Johan Neeskens converted this to 1-0. After that, the game was even. In the 25th minute of the game, Bernd Hölzenbein was brought down by Wim Jansen in the Dutch penalty area and again the English referee gave a penalty, which Paul Breitner converted to 1-1. In the 43rd minute, the German record goal scorer Gerd Müller scored the 2-1 final score for the hosts, because it remained despite numerous chances for the Dutch in the second half.

1978 in Argentina

For the fourth World Cup in South America , the vice world champion had to deal with Belgium and Iceland in a group like four years earlier and with Northern Ireland like eight years earlier. Even though Johan Cruyff only played the first four qualifying games and then ended his national team career, the Dutch were able to qualify with ease. The new bond coach Ernst Happel tried to persuade Cruyff to make a comeback at the World Cup, but was unsuccessful. In Argentina, the Dutch won 3-0 against newcomer Iran , but then only managed 0-0 against Peru and lost 3-2 to Scotland . Since the Scots had lost to Peru and only scored 1-1 against Iran, both had 3: 3 points, but the Dutch had the better goal difference, which was enough for second place and a place in the second final round. Here Austria was defeated 5: 1 in the first game , before the 74 final was repeated. In this, the Dutch were able to equalize a lead of the German team twice, so that it was 2-2 in the end. With the following 2: 1 against Italy the final was reached again, in which the hosts waited again. The Argentines took the lead in the 38th minute through Mario Kempes and then had to fight off the attacks of the Dutch. Substitute Dick Nanninga then equalized in the 82nd minute, but the Argentines had more power reserves in extra time and scored two more goals. The Dutch were the first team to become vice world champions twice in a row.

1982 in Spain

Even if it was theoretically easier to qualify for the finals by increasing the field of participants to 24 teams, the Dutch failed to do so. In a group consisting of France , Belgium, Ireland and Cyprus , only fourth place was taken. The decisive factor here was the defeat in France in the last game, with a win the qualification would have been successful. Johan Neeskens , the scorer of the 1-0 final in 1974, who had played for New York Cosmos since 1979 , had played in the last two qualifying games, but ended his national team career after the 2-0 defeat against France.

1986 in Mexico

Again the Dutch failed in qualifying . After only second place behind Hungary and tied in front of Austria was occupied in the group stage , with Cyprus bottoming out in the group, the team had to play against Belgium in playoff games. After losing 1-0 in the first leg in Brussels, the home game was only 2-1 and the Belgians qualified due to the away goals rule . At the game in Belgium, Willy van de Kerkhof was the last player in the 74 World Cup squad to play and then ended his national team career.

1990 in Italy

After winning the European Championship in 1988 , the Dutch were able to qualify for the second World Cup in Italy together with the Federal Republic of Germany , eliminating Finland and Wales .

With the trunk of the European championship team, the Dutch were considered one of the tournament favorites, but only got three draws in their preliminary group against Egypt , England and Ireland , which were qualified for the first time. Since they, like the Irish, had three points and 2-2 goals, the lot had to decide who was second and third, with the third still reaching the round of 16 . The lot hit the Dutch and as third in the group they faced the German team. The game took place at the Milan San Siro place in which several Dutch players for the AC Milan and several German players for Inter Milan in the Serie A played and in the previous season behind that of Diego Maradona directed Napoli places 2 and 3 had occupied. In a very tough game, Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler , who was spat on by Rijkaard, were sent off in the 22nd minute by the overwhelmed Argentine referee. The Germans were less affected by the suspension, but the Dutch were missing Rijkaard, an important link in the “Rijkaard- Gullit - van Basten ” axis and the German team was able to use this advantage and win 2-1. As was the case 52 years earlier, it ended in the round of 16 in Italy.

1994 in the United States

Scene from the round of 16 against Ireland

For the World Cup in the home of American football , the Dutch qualified in a group of six behind the surprisingly strong Norwegians, ahead of England, Poland , Turkey and San Marino , which took part in the qualification for the first time. In the USA, the Dutch met permanently opponents Belgium, World Cup newcomers Saudi Arabia and Morocco . Morocco lost all three games, while the other three teams won and lost one of the games against each other. So these three teams all had six points and since the goal difference was the same, only the games against each other were decisive. This made the Dutch group winners and met a group runner-up in the round of 16. This was Ireland, who were defeated 2-0. In one of the best World Cup games, the Dutch lost 3-2 to eventual world champions Brazil in the quarter-finals . A two- goal deficit could be compensated for, but in the 81st minute Branco scored the winning goal for the record world champion.

1998 in France

For the second World Cup in France , the Dutch were able to qualify by playing against Belgium, Turkey, Wales and San Marino. Belgians and Dutch were drawn into a group again for the finals and met Mexico and South Korea . After a goalless draw against their neighbors, South Korea were defeated 5-0 before a 2-2 draw against Mexico, which was enough for both of them to reach the last 16. Here the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was defeated 2-1 and with the same result ex-world champion Argentina in a high-class quarter-final match. This was the first time that the semi-finals of a World Cup were reached, in which defending champions Brazil waited. After a goalless first half, Ronaldo scored the 1-0 immediately after the restart, which Patrick Kluivert was able to equalize in the 87th minute. As there were no more goals in the following overtime, it came to penalties , in which the first four Brazilian shooters were successful and the Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel was able to save the penalties of Phillip Cocu and Ronald de Boer . A demotivated Dutch team then lost the small final against World Cup newcomers Croatia with 1: 2.

2002 in Japan and South Korea

The unsuccessful qualification of the Dutch team for the first World Cup in Asia was celebrated in German stadiums with the song " Without Holland we're going to the World Cup" . The Dutch had lost their qualification by losing to Portugal at home and were unable to win against Ireland either. Only Estonia , Cyprus and Andorra , which took part in the World Cup qualification for the first time, were clearly defeated.

2006 in Germany

Dutch fans in Leipzig

For the second World Cup in the neighboring country , the Dutch were able to easily qualify again . The Czech Republic , which also qualified, Romania , Finland , Macedonia , Armenia and again Andorra were relegated to the places and only conceded three goals. At the finals, the team was drawn into the so-called "death group" with Argentina , Serbia & Montenegro and Ivory Coast, who qualified for the first time . Serbia & Montenegro, which conceded only one goal in qualifying, were defeated 1-0 in the opening game and after a 2-1 win against the Ivorians, Argentina, which had also won the first two games, and the Dutch were confirmed as participants in the round of 16. In the game for group victory, both teams parted goalless and Argentina became group winners with the better goal difference. Portugal were the opponents in the round of 16. Already at the EM 2004 both met in the semi-finals and the Portuguese used their home advantage and won 2-1. In one of the toughest games in recent World Cup history with twelve yellow cards and four yellow-red cards , Portugal won 1-0.

2010 in South Africa

The Dutch team before the final

The Dutch team was the first European team to qualify for the first World Cup in Africa . In a group with Norway , Scotland , Macedonia and Iceland all games were won, which otherwise only Spain - but in a group of six - succeeded. In South Africa, the Dutch met Denmark in the opening game and won 2-0. Then Japan were defeated 1-0 and Cameroon 2-1. As group winners, the Dutch met World Cup newcomer Slovakia in the round of 16 , who had prevailed in his group against defending champions Italy , and won 2-1. With this result, record world champions Brazil were defeated in the quarter-finals and reached the semi-finals for the second time. Here Uruguay was the opponent. The ex-world champion was the surprise team of the tournament and provided the best player with Diego Forlán . This was able to compensate for the early leadership of the Dutch by captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst shortly before the half-time break. In the 70th and 73rd minutes, however, the Dutch took the lead again with goals from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben . Although the South Americans managed to make it 2: 3 in stoppage time, the Dutch were in the final for the third time. There they met European champions Spain, who had fought their way into the World Cup final for the first time with three 1-0 victories. The final ended with this result, but it took the Spaniards 116 minutes before Andrés Iniesta scored the decisive goal. Both teams hadn't given each other up until then and saw a total of 13 yellow cards and one yellow-red card. Wesley Sneijder was then awarded the silver ball as the second best player in the tournament and the third best scorer with the bronze shoe.

2014 in Brazil

Dutch fans in Porto Alegre for the game against Australia

After the disappointing performance of the Dutch at the EM 2012 , bond coach Bert van Marwijk left the post. His successor was Louis van Gaal , who succeeded again in leading the Dutch as the first European team to Brazil. Against Romania , Hungary , Turkey , Estonia and Andorra 34 goals in nine wins and one draw were scored and only five goals conceded. Only the future world champions Germany scored two more goals, but with twice the number of goals conceded. The Dutch were not seeded for the group draw and were drawn into a group with world champions Spain, Chile and Australia . Already in the opening game there was a new edition of the final of 2010, which was never the case before in the group stage. The Spaniards immediately took the initiative, while the Dutch operated from a reinforced defense in contrast to their usual style of play. Spain then took the lead in the 37th minute with a penalty converted by Xabi Alonso and then failed to increase to 2-0. Shortly before the break, captain and record scorer Robin van Persie equalized with a diving header. In the second half, the haphazardly attacking Spaniards were countered several times and the highest World Cup victory against a defending champion was achieved 5: 1 . In the second game against Australia, the Dutch had more trouble and even fell behind in the 3-2 win. The move into the round of 16 was perfect and in the final group game against Chile it was all about winning the group and avoiding the hosts in the round of 16. With goals in the 77th minute and added time, Chile were defeated 2-0 and Mexico then waited in the round of 16 . Shortly after a goalless first half, the Mexicans made it 1-0 and the Dutch had to intensify their attacking efforts. It took until the 88th minute before Wesley Sneijder equalized. When everyone was expecting extra time, Arjen Robben stumbled over a Mexican leg during stoppage time. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted the penalty kick to 2-1. In the quarter-finals, the surprise team from Costa Rica was the opponent, who had prevailed in their group against three ex-world champions. Costa Rica had previously eliminated Greece in the round of 16 with a penalty shoot-out and since they and the Dutch failed to score in 120 minutes, they had to take penalties again. Shortly before this, van Gaal had changed the goalkeeper and Tim Krul became the match winner for Oranje with two penalties saved . In the semi-final against Argentina , which had to be decided on penalties again after a goalless 120 minutes, van Gaal could not use this trick again and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was unable to save a penalty - in contrast to the Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero , who succeeded twice. That left only the small finale. Assistant coach Patrick Kluivert , who lost the small final in 1998, was able to motivate the Dutch players to such an extent that they could pull themselves together again for a special performance and host Brazil, who lost their semi-finals 7-1 to Germany , with 3 : Defeated 0 and thus took third place for the first time. After the World Cup, van Gaal's term of office ended, but that had already been agreed. His successor was Guus Hiddink , who resigned during the unsuccessful qualification for the EM 2016 and was replaced by Danny Blind .

2018 in Russia

In qualifying , which began for the European teams in September 2016, the Dutch faced France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Belarus. Of the first five games, the Dutch were only able to win against Luxembourg and Belarus and pick up a point in Sweden and were only in fourth place after half of the games. After the 2-0 defeat in the fifth game in Bulgaria, coach Danny Blind was dismissed, who had previously failed to lead the Elftal to the European Championship 2016. Dick Advocaat was hired as the new bond coach at the beginning of May , taking on the position for the third time. In the second half of the qualification they only lost in France and won all other games, but in the end it was only enough for third place behind the Swedes with the same points and the better goal difference.

player

Ranking of the Dutch World Cup players with the most appearances

01. Wesley Sneijder 17 in 3 tournaments

02. Robin van Persie 16 in 3 tournaments

03. Wim Jansen , Ruud Krol , Dirk Kuyt , Johnny Rep , Arjen Robben 14 each in 2 or 3 (Kuyt, Robben) tournaments

08. Arie Haan , Rob Rensenbrink 13 each in 2 tournaments

10. Dennis Bergkamp , Jan Jongbloed , Johan Neeskens 12 each in 2 tournaments

13. Frank de Boer , Phillip Cocu , Nigel de Jong , Wim Jonk , Marc Overmars , Edwin van der Sar , Wim Suurbier 11 each in 2 tournaments

20. Mark van Bommel , Giovanni van Bronckhorst , John Heitinga , Wim Rijsbergen 10 each in 2 tournaments

Ranking of the Dutch World Cup players with the most goals

Johnny Rep (1973), top Dutch World Cup goalscorer

01. Johnny Rep - 7 goals

02. Dennis Bergkamp , Rob Rensenbrink , Arjen Robben , Wesley Sneijder - 6 goals each

06. Johan Neeskens , Robin van Persie - 5 goals each

08. Johan Cruyff - 3 goals

World Cup captains

• 1934, 1938: Puck van Heel
• 1974: Johan Cruyff
• 1978: Ruud Krol
• 1990: Ruud Gullit
• 1994: Ronald Koeman
• 1998: Frank de Boer
• 2006: Edwin van der Sar
• 2010: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
• 2014: Robin van Persie , Arjen Robben (3rd group game)

Players banned from World Championships

• 1974: In the final, Wim van Hanegem and Johan Cruyff received their second yellow card. But this no longer had any effect.
• 1978: Dick Nanninga received the red card in the second round match against Germany nine minutes after being substituted on and was suspended for the game against Italy. In the final he was able to play again and scored there - also after being substituted on - the 1-1 equalizer.
• 1990: In the game against Germany, Frank Rijkaard received the second yellow card and the red card two minutes later. Since the Dutch were eliminated, this had no further effect.
• 1994: In the group match against Morocco, Jan Wouters received the second yellow card and was suspended for the round of 16. In the quarter-finals against Brazil, he received the third yellow card.
• 1998: Patrick Kluivert received the red card in the opening game against Belgium for assault and was suspended for 3 games. Arthur Numan received the yellow-red card in the quarter-finals against Argentina and was suspended for the semi-finals against Brazil. Edgar Davids received the second yellow card in the small final, but it had no effect. The second yellow card Jaap Stam received in the quarter-finals had no effect either.
• 2006: In the round of 16 against Portugal, Mark van Bommel and Giovanni van Bronckhorst received the second yellow card, van Bronckhorst received the yellow-red card as did Khalid Boulahrouz . Since the Dutch were eliminated this had no further effect.
• 2010: Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong received the second yellow card in the quarter-finals and were suspended for the semi-finals. In the final they received the third yellow card. In this, John Heitinga also received the yellow-red card and Mark van Bommel the second yellow card. Since the tournament ended there, they had no further effect.
• 2014: Robin van Persie received the second yellow card in the second group game against Australia and was suspended for the final game against Chile.

Share of players playing abroad in the World Cup squad

No legionaries have been deployed in the first two participations. With the increasing reputation of Dutch players, they were also signed by foreign clubs and then increasingly formed the trunk of the national team.

Year (games)	Number (countries)	Players (stakes)
1934 + 1938	0
1974 (7)	3 (2 in Belgium, 1 in Spain)	Ruud Geels (0), Rob Rensenbrink (6); Johan Cruyff (7)
1978 (7)	6 (3 in Belgium, 1 in Germany, 1 in France, 1 in Spain)	Johan Boskamp (1), Arie Haan (6), Rob Rensenbrink (7); Wim Suurbier (4); Johnny Rep (7); Johan Neeskens (5)
1990 (4)	8 (3 in Belgium, 3 in Italy, 1 in Scotland, 1 in Spain)	Erwin Koeman (1), Adri van Tiggelen (4), Graeme Rutjes (1); Marco van Basten (4), Ruud Gullit (4), Frank Rijkaard (4); Hans Gillhaus (3); Ronald Koeman (4)
1994 (5)	8 (1 in Belgium, 4 in Italy, 1 in Portugal, 1 in Scotland, 1 in Spain)	John Bosman (0); Dennis Bergkamp (5), Wim Jonk (5), Bryan Roy (5), Aron Winter (3); Stan Valckx (4); Theo Snelders (0); Ronald Koeman (5)
1998 (7)	12 (5 in England, 3 in Italy, 4 in Spain)	Dennis Bergkamp (7), Ed de Goey (0), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2), Pierre van Hooijdonk (3), Marc Overmars (6); Edgar Davids (6), Patrick Kluivert (4); Aron Winter (4); Winston Bogarde (2), Ruud Hesp (0), Michael Reiziger (4), Clarence Seedorf (4)
2006 (4)	9 (2 in Germany, 5 in England, 2 in Spain)	Khalid Boulahrouz (4), Rafael van der Vaart (3); Jan Kromkamp (0), Ruud van Nistelrooy (3), Robin van Persie (4), Arjen Robben (3), Edwin van der Sar (4); Mark van Bommel (3), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (3)
2010 (7)	14 (5 in Germany, 5 in England, 2 in Italy, 1 in Scotland, 1 in Spain)	Mark van Bommel (7), Khalid Boulahrouz (2), Eljero Elia (6), Joris Mathijsen (6), Arjen Robben (5); Ryan Babel (0), John Heitinga (7), Nigel de Jong (6), Dirk Kuyt (7), Robin van Persie (7); Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (4), Wesley Sneijder (7); Edson Braafheid (1); Rafael van der Vaart (5)
2014 (7)	13 (3 in Germany, 6 in England, 1 in Italy, 2 in Turkey, 1 in Ukraine)	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (3), Arjen Robben (7), Paul Verhaegh (1); Leroy Fer (1), Jonathan de Guzmán (3), Tim Krul (1), Robin van Persie (6), Ron Vlaar (6), Michel Vorm (1); Nigel de Jong (5); Dirk Kuyt (5), Wesley Sneijder (6); Jeremain Lens (4)

Games

The Dutch have played 50 World Cup games so far. Of these, 27 were won, 11 lost and 12 ended in a draw. Draw games had to be extended six times because a winner had to be determined, twice against Argentina. Three games were regularly lost in extra time, as well as two games on penalties. Only one game was won in extra time on penalties.

The Dutch never played in the opening game. So far, the Netherlands had to face the hosts three times: in 1974 and 1978 in the final and most recently in 2014 in the game for third place.

The Dutch lost five times (1974, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 2010) to the eventual world champion.

In 1974 and 1978 (in the intermediate round), 1998 (in the semi-finals) and 2014 (in the preliminary round) the Netherlands played against the defending champions.

The Dutch met ten times newcomers to the World Cup: 1934 (when they were newcomers themselves) / Switzerland, 1974 / GDR, 1978 / Iran, 1990 / Ireland, 1994 / Saudi Arabia, 1998 / BR Yugoslavia and Croatia, 2006 / Serbia and Montenegro and the Ivory Coast and 2010 / Slovakia.

The Dutch team is the first team to have played against all German-speaking World Cup participants: Switzerland in 1934, GDR and FR Germany in 1974, Austria in 1978. Only Brazil and Chile succeeded in this.

The Dutch have played in 32 World Cup cities so far, most often (3 times each) in Dortmund , Marseille , Mendoza and Orlando .

All World Cup games
No.	date	opponent	Result	occasion		venue	Remarks
1.	May 27, 1934	Switzerland	2: 3	Round of 16	*	Milan ( ITA )
2.	06/05/1938	Czechoslovakia	0: 3 a.d.	Round of 16	*	Le Havre ( FRA )
3.	06/15/1974	Uruguay	2-0	1. Final round	*	Hanover ( GER )	First win in a World Cup game. Highest win against Uruguay
4th	06/19/1974	Sweden	0-0	1. Final round	*	Dortmund ( GER )
5.	06/23/1974	Bulgaria	4: 1	1. Final round	*	Dortmund ( GER )	Biggest win against Bulgaria
6th	06/26/1974	Argentina	4-0	2nd final round	*	Gelsenkirchen ( GER )	Biggest win against Argentina
7th	06/30/1974	GDR	2-0	2nd final round	*	Gelsenkirchen ( GER )
8th.	07/03/1974	Brazil	2-0	2nd final round	*	Dortmund ( GER )	Biggest win against Brazil. First entry into the finals in a tournament
9.	07/07/1974	FRG	1: 2	final	A.	Munich ( GER )	Justification of the rivalry with Germany
10.	06/03/1978	Iran	3-0	1. Final round	*	Mendoza ( ARG )	First international match against Iran
11.	06/07/1978	Peru	0-0	2nd final round	*	Mendoza ( ARG )
12.	06/11/1978	Scotland	2: 3	1. Final round	*	Mendoza ( ARG )
13.	06/14/1978	Austria	5: 1	2nd final round	*	Cordoba ( ARG )
14th	06/18/1978	FRG	2: 2	2nd final round	*	Cordoba ( ARG )
15th	06/21/1978	Italy	2: 1	2nd final round	*	Buenos Aires ( ARG )
16.	06/25/1978	Argentina	1: 3 a.d.	final	A.	Buenos Aires ( ARG )	Only defeat against Argentina
17th	06/12/1990	Egypt	1: 1	Preliminary round	*	Palermo ( ITA )
18th	06/16/1990	England	0-0	Preliminary round	*	Cagliari ( ITA )
19th	06/21/1990	Ireland	1: 1	Preliminary round	*	Palermo ( ITA )
20th	06/24/1990	FRG	1: 2	Round of 16	*	Milan ( ITA )
21st	06/20/1994	Saudi Arabia	2: 1	Preliminary round	*	Washington ( USA )	First international match against Saudi Arabia
22nd	06/25/1994	Belgium	0: 1	Preliminary round	*	Orlando ( USA )
23.	06/29/1994	Morocco	2: 1	Preliminary round	*	Orlando ( USA )	First international match against Morocco
24.	07/04/1994	Ireland	2-0	Round of 16	*	Orlando ( USA )
25th	07/09/1994	Brazil	2: 3	Quarter finals	*	Dallas ( USA )
26th	06/13/1998	Belgium	0-0	Preliminary round	*	Saint-Denis ( FRA )
27.	06/20/1998	South Korea	5-0	Preliminary round	*	Marseille ( FRA )	First international match against South Korea
28.	06/25/1998	Mexico	2: 2	Preliminary round	*	Saint-Etienne ( FRA )
29	06/29/1998	Yugoslavia	2: 1	Round of 16	*	Toulouse ( FRA )
30th	07/04/1998	Argentina	2: 1	Quarter finals	*	Marseille ( FRA )
31.	07/07/1998	Brazil	1: 1 a.d.	Semifinals	*	Marseille ( FRA )	2-4 after penalties
32.	07/11/1998	Croatia	1: 2	3rd place match	*	Paris ( FRA )	First international match against Croatia
33.	06/11/2006	Serbia and Montenegro	1-0	Preliminary round	*	Leipzig ( GER )	Only international match against Serbia and Montenegro
34.	06/16/2006	Ivory Coast	2: 1	Preliminary round	*	Stuttgart ( GER )	First international match against Ivory Coast
35.	06/21/2006	Argentina	0-0	Preliminary round	*	Frankfurt ( GER )	100th international match by Phillip Cocu
36.	06/25/2006	Portugal	0: 1	Round of 16	*	Nuremberg ( GER )	Record game with four yellow-red and eight yellow cards 101st and last international game by Phillip Cocu
37.	06/14/2010	Denmark	2-0	Preliminary round	*	Johannesburg ( RSA )	100th international match by Giovanni van Bronckhorst
38.	06/19/2010	Japan	1-0	Preliminary round	*	Durban ( RSA )
39.	06/24/2010	Cameroon	2: 1	Preliminary round	*	Cape Town ( RSA )
40.	06/28/2010	Slovakia	2: 1	Round of 16	*	Durban ( RSA )	First international match against Slovakia
41.	07/02/2010	Brazil	2: 1	Quarter finals	*	Port Elizabeth ( RSA )
42.	07/06/2010	Uruguay	3: 2	Semifinals	*	Cape Town ( RSA )
43.	07/11/2010	Spain	0: 1 a.d.	final	*	Johannesburg ( RSA )	106th and last international match by Giovanni van Bronckhorst
44.	06/13/2014	Spain	5: 1	Preliminary round	*	Salvador da Bahia ( BRA )	Biggest defeat by a defending champion 100th international game by Wesley Sneijder
45.	06/18/2014	Australia	3: 2	Preliminary round	*	Porto Alegre ( BRA )
46.	06/23/2014	Chile	2-0	Preliminary round	*	Sao Paulo ( BRA )
47.	06/29/2014	Mexico	2: 1	Round of 16	*	Fortaleza ( BRA )	100th international match by Dirk Kuyt
48.	07/05/2014	Costa Rica	0: 0 a.d.	Quarter finals	*	Salvador da Bahia ( BRA )	First international match against Costa Rica 4-3 after penalties
49.	07/09/2014	Argentina	0: 0 a.d., 2: 4 i. E.	Semifinals	*	Sao Paulo ( BRA )	750th international game, 100th game on a neutral pitch
50.	07/12/2014	Brazil	3-0	3rd place match	A.	Brasília ( BRA )	Last international match in Louis van Gaal's second term

Highest victories and defeats

The Dutch team achieved their highest victories against the following countries in World Cup tournaments:

•  Argentina : 1974 - 2nd final round 4-0
•  Australia : 2014 - preliminary round 3-2 (only win against Australia)
•  Brazil : 2014 - game for 3rd place 3-0
•  Bulgaria : 1974 - 1st final round 4-1
•  Chile : 2014 - preliminary round 2-0 (only win against Chile)
•  Ivory Coast : 2006 - 2-1 preliminary round (only game against Ivory Coast)
•  Iran : 1978 - 1st final round 3-0 (only game against Iran)
•  Cameroon : 2010 - 2-1 preliminary round (also 1-0 in a friendly match)
•  Morocco : 1998 - preliminary round 2-1 (also a 2-1 in a friendly)
•  Mexico : 2014 round of 16 2-1 (also twice 2-1 and once 3-2 in friendly matches)
•  Austria : 1978 - 2nd final round 5: 1
•  Saudi Arabia : 1994 - 2-1 preliminary round (only game against Saudi Arabia)
•  Serbia and Montenegro  : 2006 - preliminary round 1-0 (only international match against Serbia and Montenegro)
•  Spain : 2014 - preliminary round 5: 1
•  South Korea : 1998 - preliminary round 5-0
•  Uruguay : 1974 - 1st final round 2-0

The Dutch team suffered their biggest defeats in World Cup tournaments against the following countries:

•  Argentina : 1978 - final 1: 3 aet (only defeat against Argentina)
•  Croatia : 1998 game for 3rd place 1: 2 (only defeat against Croatia)

Records

team

• The fastest penalty given in a World Cup match was the first minute in the Germany-Netherlands final at the 1974 World Cup; Johan Neeskens converted him to 1-0 for the Netherlands. The German team did not have a single touch of the ball before the goal. It was also the first penalty that was converted in a World Cup final.
• Most tournament goals:
  • 1978: Netherlands and Argentina - 15 each in 7 games
• Biggest win against a defending champion: Netherlands 5-1 Spain - preliminary round 2014

player

• At the 2014 World Cup, a goalkeeper was replaced for the first time in a World Cup match shortly before the penalty shoot-out in the quarter-final match between the Netherlands and Costa Rica . Substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul was able to save two penalties and thus secure the semi-finals for the Dutch.
• Two Dutch players scored anniversary goals :
  • 1000th goal: Rob Rensenbrink - the 1-0 in the 2-3 preliminary round defeat against Scotland on June 11, 1978
  • 2200. Goal: Arjen Robben - the 3: 1 in the 3: 2 victory in the semifinals against Uruguay on July 6, 2010

Trainer

Guus Hiddink was the first to reach the semifinals with two different countries, in 1998 with the Netherlands and in 2002 with South Korea, but failed in the semifinals (and then both times lost the game for third place).

Negative records

• Most final defeats without winning a final: 3 (1974, 1978 and 2010)
• Most of the dismissals were in the round of 16 between Portugal and the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup (4 yellow-red cards, 2 per team)
• The most yellow cards were in the game Portugal - Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup (12 yellow and 4 yellow-red) and the game Germany - Cameroon at the 2002 World Cup (14 yellow and 2 yellow-red). In the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain, 13 yellow and 1 yellow-red cards were awarded - too mild, according to the critics.
• Most cautions in final games: 14 (1974/3, 1978/3, 2010/8), plus one yellow-red card in 2010
• Most cautions in a tournament:
  • 1974: 11 in 7 games (like Brazil)
  • 2010: 22 in 7 games (negative World Cup record together with Argentina, 1990)

See also

• Dutch national football team / European championships
• Dutch women's national football team / World Championships

Web links

• Football World - Statistics - Netherlands on fifa.com
• fifa.com: "Statistical overview: records and milestones"

References and footnotes

1. ↑ Won one game on penalties and lost two.
2. ↑ The placements from 5th place onwards were determined by FIFA without any placement games. See: All-time FIFA World Cup Ranking 1930-2014 (PDF; 200 kB)
3. ↑ fifa.com: "Advocaat for the third time Oranje-Coach"
4. ↑ Incl. Welsh clubs in the Premier League play
5. ↑ In some newspaper articles after the game there was only talk of 7 yellow cards, so the first yellow card for John Heitinga was not counted. In its summary statistics, FIFA even mentions only 6, although 8 Dutch people are mentioned by name who have received a yellow card. Source: 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil ™: Netherlands-Spain - Official Report. Retrieved July 21, 2014 .