The Low Countries derby (, ), is the name given in football to any match between Belgium and the Netherlands. The countries have a long-standing tradition of rivalry in football, having played over 129 official derbies so far. Only Austria–Hungary and Argentina–Uruguay have been contested more often. Not only have the Low Countries met 19 times in the framework of major tournaments, they have also played at least 35 friendly cup duels.
All Low Countries derbies
The full official record between the two countries is as follows:
Correct as of 25 September 2022. CompetitionPlayedResultsGoalsBelgiumDrawNetherlandsBelgiumNetherlandsWorld Cup qualifiers 12 2 3 7 7 19World Cup 2 1 1 0 1 0European Championship qualifiers 2 0 0 2 1 7European Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0Nations League 2 0 0 2 1 4Olympic Games 2 1 0 1 4 3Friendly* 109 37 27 45 207 251TOTAL129413157221289* Most games between 1905 and 1925 were friendly cup matches - see below.
Belgium vs Netherlands Cups
From their first friendly derbies onwards, Belgium and the Netherlands competed for floating trophies. During the encounters in Belgium the teams played for the Coupe Vanden Abeele until 1925, and in the friendlies in the Netherlands they played for the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker until 1923, for a total of 39 Belgian-Dutch friendly cup matches (of which 35 official internationals). The cup awarded in Belgium was named after and initially handed out by Frédéric Vanden Abeele Sr., father of the secretary of Beerschot Athletic Club (where the tournament took place). As the Dutch disliked the design of this Belgian cup, they quickly nicknamed it Het Koperen Dingetje, meaning "The Copper Thingy".
Belgium-Netherlands Cup RecordCompetitionPlayedResultsGoalsBelgiumDrawNetherlandsBelgiumNetherlands 1905–25 Coupe Vanden Abeele 143*382534 1905–23 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker 2155113555Total358*8196089* Excluding the four trophies between 1901 and 1904 won by a 'Belgian' selection, as these matches are unofficial.
See also Belgium national team rivalries Belgium–Netherlands relations Germany–Netherlands football rivalry
Footnotes
References
Bibliography (Extract consulted online on 30 August 2010 on Beerschot Athletic Club)