Netherlands national football team

Netherlands
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Oranje
Holland
Clockwork Orange
The Flying Dutchmen[1]
AssociationKoninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (KNVB)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachRonald Koeman
CaptainVirgil van Dijk
Most capsWesley Sneijder (134)
Top scorerRobin van Persie (50)
Home stadiumJohan Cruyff Arena
De Kuip
Philips Stadion
De Grolsch Veste
FIFA codeNED
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 8 Decrease 1 (24 October 2024)[2]
Highest1[3] (August 2011)
Lowest36[4] (August 2017)
First international
 Belgium 1–4 Netherlands 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905)
Biggest win
 Netherlands 11–0 San Marino 
(Eindhoven, Netherlands; 2 September 2011)
Biggest defeat
 England Amateurs 12–2 Netherlands 
(Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)[A]
World Cup
Appearances11 (first in 1934)
Best resultRunners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
European Championship
Appearances11 (first in 1976)
Best resultChampions (1988)
Nations League Finals
Appearances2 (first in 2019)
Best resultRunners-up (2019)
Websiteonsoranje.nl (in Dutch)

The Netherlands national football team (Dutch: Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply Het Nederlands elftal) has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion, and De Grolsch Veste.

The team is colloquially referred to as Het Nederlands Elftal (The Dutch Eleven) or Oranje, after the House of Orange-Nassau and their distinctive orange jerseys. Informally the team, like the country itself, was referred to as Holland. The fan club is known as Het Oranje Legioen (The Orange Legion).[6]

The Netherlands has competed in eleven FIFA World Cups, appearing in the final three times (in 1974, 1978 and 2010). They finished runners-up on all three occasions. They have also appeared in eleven UEFA European Championships, winning the 1988 tournament in West Germany. Additionally, the team won a bronze medal at the Olympic football tournament in 1908, 1912 and 1920. The Netherlands has long-standing football rivalries with neighbours Belgium and Germany.

  1. ^ "Holland's media-friendly football pros". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 17 December 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  3. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019.
  4. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019.
  5. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  6. ^ "International football | KNVB". KNVB. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.


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