Netherlands national football team

Men's national association football team representing the Netherlands / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Netherlands men's 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. They were sometimes regarded as the greatest national team of the respective generations.[5][6][7][8] Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

Quick facts: Nickname(s), Association, Confederation, Head...
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
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First colours
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Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 7 Steady (21 September 2023)[2]
Highest1[3] (August 2011)
Lowest36[4] (August 2017)
First international
Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg Belgium 1–4 Netherlands Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg
(Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905)
Biggest win
Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg Netherlands 11–0 San Marino Flag_of_San_Marino.svg
(Eindhoven, Netherlands; 2 September 2011)
Biggest defeat
Flag_of_England.svg England Amateurs 12–2 Netherlands Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg
(Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)[upper-alpha 1]
World Cup
Appearances11 (first in 1934)
Best resultRunners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
European Championship
Appearances10 (first in 1976)
Best resultChampions (1988)
Nations League
Appearances2 (first in 2019)
Best resultRunners-up (2019)
Websiteonsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
Close

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).[9]

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 ten 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.

They are often regarded as the best country to never win the World Cup.[10][11][12][13][14]