Netherlands World Cup 2026 team guide

This article is portion of nan Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a practice betwixt immoderate of nan champion media organisations from nan 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is moving previews from 3 countries each time successful nan run-up to nan tourney kicking disconnected connected 11 June.

The plan

Has Ronald Koeman ever started a awesome tourney pinch much headaches? Probably not. He is known arsenic an exceptionally eager perfectionist, which intends nan mentation for this World Cup has been nan astir troublesome of each his years arsenic nan national-team caput coach.

Injuries are portion and parcel of nan crippled but it becomes a existent problem when, successful nan run-up to a awesome tournament, astir half nan starting XI is either ruled retired wholly aliases sidelined for months. In nan outpouring Koeman said he would only return players who were afloat fresh and playing regularly, but that stance became difficult to maintain.

Tottenham’s Xavi Simons suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury successful April and won’t beryllium backmost until adjacent year. The PSV midfielder Jerdy Schouten is besides recovering from nan aforesaid injury. Matthijs de Ligt, who has often collaborated Virgil van Dijk successful cardinal defence, has not regained afloat fittingness aft a backmost problem.

Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong missed astir of nan season, Inter’s Denzel Dumfries was retired for 4 months. Manchester City’s Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Aké were often connected nan chair while Memphis Depay sustained a superior hamstring wounded astatine nan extremity of his play successful Brazil.

Koeman, a disciple of nan Johan Cruyff schoolhouse of shot thinking, prefers attacking shot and, during nan qualifiers, stuck to a very accepted Dutch style, but he whitethorn person to wantonness his favoured 4-3-3 strategy for nan tournament.

The Netherlands – who are successful a reliable group pinch Japan, Sweden and Tunisia – must now prime their fittest and strongest players, alternatively than nan astir talented ones that bespeak nan Dutch footballing philosophy. The KNVB (the Royal Dutch Football Association) has made reaching nan semi-finals a minimum target; Koeman wants to spell moreover further and triumph nan tournament. But that will require a batch of difficult work.

“What I’d for illustration group to opportunity astir my squad is that they play pinch a batch of intensity, that they can’t opportunity we didn’t do enough,” Koeman told Fifa successful May. “I want them to play pinch confidence, pinch personality, knowing what their qualities are. And to ever respect each force contempt nan truth location whitethorn beryllium alleged smaller nations astatine nan World Cup.”

The coach

While astatine Barcelona, Johan Cruyff erstwhile asked Ronald Koeman to stock a room pinch a young talent named Pep Guardiola. The 2 developed nether Cruyff’s attacking accuracy and took that pinch them into coaching. Koeman is nan only coach successful nan Netherlands to person enjoyed occurrence pinch each 3 awesome clubs – Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV – some arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a manager. For that reason, he is wide respected crossed nan country, has a beardown reputation, and has agelong enjoyed a affirmative narration pinch his world players.

Koeman heads to nan World Cup during a clip erstwhile his wife, Bartina, is undergoing curen for cancer. She was diagnosed pinch bosom crab successful 2010 and it came backmost successful 2018 and 2023. During nan qualification campaign, Koeman occasionally near nan training campy to beryllium pinch her. “If I had to time off it was to beryllium pinch my woman but she is incredibly beardown and positive,” he said. “That is thing very special. [But] it is very difficult. She cannot do everything she utilized to and she gets tired much easy because of nan broadside effects [of chemotherapy]. But we attraction connected nan things that matter astir to america and springiness her energy. That is thing beautiful to see.”

Star player

For decades nan Netherlands’ prima players were forwards but nan Dutch person struggled to nutrient world-class strikers successful caller years truthful for nan first time, nan team’s strongest section is nan defence, led by nan formidable Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool defender is successful effect Koeman’s hold connected nan pitch. The 33-year-old is nan undisputed leader and nan astir vocal fig successful nan dressing room and connected nan field. He represents nan squad successful discussions pinch nan federation and regularly consults Koeman connected tactics. He is not immune to disapproval from Koeman though, who says: “I person to enactment connected his backmost to make judge he remains sharp. He knows that – it has been nan lawsuit since our clip astatine Southampton. But he is simply a awesome leader.”

Virgil van Dijk is nan team’s undoubted leader. Photograph: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Unsung hero

Micky van de Ven has been successful nan spotlight successful nan Netherlands for having to conflict relegation pinch Tottenham and has been near retired of Koeman’s squads successful nan past because nan caput coach was concerned astir nan defender picking up musculus injuries by playing excessively much. Van de Ven was ne'er portion of a big-club academy and had to conflict his measurement to nan Premier League via Volendam and Wolfsburg. He brings power and powerfulness to nan squad pinch his exceptional pace, beardown tackling and relentless running. At world level, he has had to conflict to triumph a starting spot but looks to person done truthful conscionable earlier nan World Cup.

Probable starting XI

Illustration: Guardian

What to expect from fans astatine games?

One point nan Americans tin beryllium definite of: nan Oranje march will group Kansas City, Dallas and Houston alight. The celebrated orangish double-decker autobus was shipped to nan United States a period earlier nan World Cup and will recreation to each metropolis wherever nan Dutch are playing. Thousands of Dutch fans will return portion successful city-centre processions. On its apical deck, well-known Dutch artists, DJs and bands will perform, mounting nan reside and creating a bully atmosphere. And we’ll besides spot nan Links Rechts (left-right) regular to nan opus by Snollebollekes.

Relationship pinch nan US/Trump?

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima person made respective visits to Donald Trump successful nan White House. These visits are viewed arsenic a strategical strengthening of relations betwixt nan Netherlands and nan US, pinch nan king acting arsenic a negotiated bridge. However, nationalist sentiment successful nan Netherlands towards Trump is mostly antagonistic and salient Dutch politicians person successful nan past been outspoken, pinch immoderate describing Trump arsenic “a governmental charlatan”.

Written by Marcel van der Kraan for De Telegraaf.