The history of the Netherlands national football team began when the Netherlands played their first international match on 30 April 1905 in Antwerp against Belgium. The game went into extra time, in which the Dutch scored three times, making the score 4–1 for the Dutch side, winning the Coupe Vanden Abeele.
The Netherlands national football team made its first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1934, Italy. The Dutch hold the record for playing the most World Cup finals without ever winning the tournament. They finished second in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 World Cups, losing to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively. Oranje reached third place in 2014. They won the UEFA European Championship in 1988.
History
Chronological record of the Netherlands at major tournamentsCompetitionYearRoundPosition*Olympic Games 1908Third place3rd210124Olympic Games 1912Third place3rd4301178Olympic Games 1920Third place3rd4202910Olympic Games 1924Fourth place4th5212117Olympic Games 1928Round 19th100102FIFA World Cup 1930Did not enterFIFA World Cup 1934 Round 1 9th 1 0 0 1 2 3FIFA World Cup 1938 Round 1 14th 1 0 0 1 0 3Olympic Games 1948Round 19th210165FIFA World Cup 1950Did not enterOlympic Games 1952Preliminary round23rd100115FIFA World Cup 1954Did not enterFIFA World Cup 1958Did not qualifyEuropean Championship 1960Did not enterFIFA World Cup 1962Did not qualify European Championship 1964FIFA World Cup 1966European Championship 1968FIFA World Cup 1970European Championship 1972FIFA World Cup 1974 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 15 3European Championship 1976Third place3rd210145FIFA World Cup 1978 Runners-up 2nd 7 3 2 2 15 10European Championship 1980Group stage5th311144FIFA World Cup 1982Did not qualifyEuropean Championship 1984FIFA World Cup 1986European Championship 1988Champions1st540183FIFA World Cup 1990 Round of 16 15th 4 0 3 1 3 4European Championship 1992Semi-finals3rd422063FIFA World Cup 1994Quarter-finals 7th 5 3 0 2 8 6European Championship 1996Quarter-finals8th412134FIFA World Cup 1998 Fourth place 4th 7 3 3 1 13 7European Championship 2000Semi-finals3rd5410133FIFA World Cup 2002Did not qualify European Championship 2004Semi-finals4th512276FIFA World Cup 2006 Round of 16 11th 4 2 1 1 3 2European Championship 2008Quarter-finals6th4301104FIFA World Cup 2010 Runners-up 2nd 7 6 0 1 12 6European Championship 2012Group stage15th300325FIFA World Cup 2014 Third place 3rd 7 5 2 0 15 4European Championship 2016Did not qualifyFIFA World Cup 2018European Championship 2020 Round of 16 9th 4 3 0 1 8 4FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 2 0 10 4European Championship 2024Semi-finals4th6312107
Early history
The Netherlands national football team played their first international match in Antwerp against Belgium on 30 April 1905. The players were selected by a five-member commission from the Dutch football association. After 90 minutes, the score was 1–1, but because the match was for a trophy (the "Coupe van den Abeele"), the game went into extra time, in which Eddy de Neve scored three times, making the score 4–1 for the Dutch side.
The Netherlands made their first appearance at the World Cup final tournament in 1934. After a second appearance in 1938 they did not appear in another World Cup until 1974.
1934 FIFA World Cup
RankTeam12200942.25422011680.75132011690.671—Withdrew
First Round
1938 FIFA World Cup
Pos.Team12110515.00322110431.33332002270.290—Withdrew
First Round
Failure: 1958–74
1958 FIFA World Cup
RankTeam1743101434.672542111271.713040043190.16
1962 FIFA World Cup
RankTeam174310115+622302147−331301236−3
1964 European Nations' Cup
Preliminary round
First round
1966 FIFA World Cup
RankTeam19641173+428632195+436622264+2416015212−10
UEFA Euro 1968
Rank 1 6 4 1 1 15 5 +10 92 6 3 1 2 10 10 0 73 6 2 1 3 11 11 0 54 6 1 1 4 6 16 −10 3
1970 FIFA World Cup
RankTeam196411127+5286402198+1137631295+4406006424−20
UEFA Euro 1972
Rank 1 6 3 3 0 7 2 +5 92 6 3 1 2 18 6 +12 73 6 3 1 2 11 6 +5 74 6 0 1 5 1 23 −22 1
Total Football in the 1970s
The 1970s saw the invention of Total Football (), pioneered by Feyenoord and Ajax and led by playmaker Johan Cruyff and national team coach Rinus Michels. The Dutch made huge strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade. The captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Carlos Alberto, went on to say "The only team I’ve seen that did things differently was Holland at the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Since then everything looks more or less the same to me…. Their ‘carousel’ style of play was amazing to watch and marvellous 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, the team lost to West Germany in the final in Munich, despite having gone 1–0 up through Johan Neeskens' early penalty kick before any German had even touched the ball. However, supported by the crowd, a converted penalty by Paul Breitner and the winner from Gerd Müller led to a victory for the Germans.
By comparison, Euro '76 was a disappointment. The Netherlands lost in the semi-finals to Czechoslovakia, as much because of fighting within the squad and the coach George Knobel, as well as the skill of the eventual winners.
In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final of a World Cup, only to be beaten by the host, this time Argentina. This side played without Johan Cruijff, Willem van Hanegem, and Jan van Beveren, who refused to participate in the World Cup. It still contained Johan Neeskens, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Ruud Krol, Wim Jansen, Jan Jongbloed, Wim Suurbier and Rob Rensenbrink from the 1974 selection. The Netherlands were less impressive in the group stages. They qualified as runners-up, after a draw with Peru and a loss to Scotland. In the second group phase, however, the Netherlands topped a group including Italy and West Germany, setting up a final with Argentina. However, the Dutch finished as runners up for the second World Cup in a row as they ultimately lost 3–1 after two extra time goals from Argentina. Unfortunately for the Dutch, Rensenbrink hit the Argentinian post in the last minute of normal time, with the score 1–1.
1974 FIFA World Cup Qualification
RankTeam1106420242+222106420120+12346204916−7406006229−27
Finals Group Stage
Team321061+55312030+34302125−32301216−51
Second round
Team330080+8632013304301214−31301227−51
Final
1978 FIFA World Cup Qualification
RankTeam1116510113+826630376+135621376+1426105212−10
Finals Group Stage
Team321072+55311153+23311156−13301228−61
Second round
Team321094+5531112203302145−12310248−42
Final
FIFA 75th Anniversary Cup
Failure: 1982–86
Euro '80 was the last tournament for which the Total Football team qualified, but they did not advance past the group stage, despite the tournament format being expanded that year. Veterans such as Krol and Rensenbrink retired soon afterwards and the Netherlands missed the 1982 World Cup, Euro '84, and the 1986 World Cup in succession. Qualification for Euro 1984 was within reach, but the Dutch ended the campaign on the same number of points as rivals Spain, and the same goal difference (+16). Spain advanced having scored two more goals. The failure to reach the 1986 World Cup was also very close. In a play off with neighbours Belgium, the Netherlands lost 1–0 in Brussels, but were leading 2–0 in the home leg in Rotterdam with a few minutes remaining. Belgium scored to end the tie 2–1, and overall play off 2–2. Belgium advanced on the away goal rule.
European champions
Rinus Michels returned to coach the team for the Euro '88 tournament. After losing the first group match against the Soviet Union (1–0), the Netherlands went on to qualify for the semi-final by defeating England 3–1 (with a hat-trick by the tournament's top scorer Marco van Basten), and Republic of Ireland (1–0). For many Dutch football supporters, the most important match in the tournament was the semi-final against West Germany, the host country, considered a revenge for the lost 1974 World Cup final (also in West Germany). Marco van Basten, who would later become national team coach, scored in the 89th minute of the game to sink the German side. The game is also remembered for its post-match shenanigans, including Ronald Koeman, who, in front of the German supporters, provocatively pretended to wipe his backside with the shirt of Olaf Thon as if it were toilet paper, an action Koeman later stated he regretted."Cheeseheads vs Krauts": 30 Years of Enmity, Ajax-USA.com, June 14, 2004 The Netherlands won the final with a convincing victory over the USSR, a rematch on the round robin game, through a header by Ruud Gullit and a volley by van Basten. This was the national team's first major tournament win and it restored them to the forefront of international football for the next three years after almost a decade in the wilderness.
Despite high expectations as the team entered the 1990 World Cup, the tournament was not a success. Van Basten failed to score, as he was frequently marked by opposing defenders, while Gullit was ineffective having not fully recovered from injury. The Dutch managed to advance despite drawing all three group games, meeting their arch-rivals West Germany in the round of 16. The match is most remembered for the spitting-incident involving Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler as the Netherlands lost 2–1.
The team reached the semi-finals in the Euro '92, which was noted for the emergence of Dennis Bergkamp, but they were eliminated by eventual champions Denmark, with Van Basten's kick in the penalty shootout being saved by Peter Schmeichel. This was to be van Basten's last major tournament as he suffered a serious ankle injury shortly after, eventually conceding defeat and retiring at the age of 30 in 1995.
In the 1994 World Cup, in the absence of the injured van Basten and the striking Gullit, 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.
1996–2004
At Euro 96, after drawing 0–0 with Scotland and beating Switzerland 2–0, they faced the hosts England in the pool A decider, with both teams on 4 points. After 62 minutes, with Scotland beating Switzerland 1–0, the Netherlands were 4–0 down and looked like finishing third behind Scotland on goal difference and going out of the tournament, but Patrick Kluivert converted a Dennis Bergkamp assist and scored in the 78th minute to see the Dutch finish second on goals scored. They then played France in the quarter-finals, drawing 0–0 and being eliminated 5–4 on penalties.
In the 1998 World Cup, Netherlands, whose team included Marc Overmars, Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, and Patrick Kluivert, met Argentina in the quarter-final, a rematch of the 1978 final. Near the end of regular time, after an unsuccessful dive to draw a penalty, Argentinian Ariel Ortega head-butted Edwin van der Sar. Ortega was sent off and the Netherlands won 2–1 after a Bergkamp goal in the 89th minute. Bergkamp's goal was famous because of its quality — he touched down a pass from Frank de Boer then reverse-flicked it inside Roberto Ayala and finally volleyed it past the Argentine goalkeeper. In the semi-final, the Netherlands took Brazil to a penalty shootout after a late Kluivert goal tied the match 1–1, but Brazil won the shootout 4–2 and advanced to the final. Netherlands lost the third place match 2–1 to upstart Croatia. Soon after the World Cup exit manager Guus Hiddink resigned after two tournaments in charge and was replaced by legendary ex-midfielder Frank Rijkaard.