Netherlands Tickets

You can characterize the history of the Dutch national team as one that has been, on the whole successful, albeit as a result of specific sporadic eras of sheer brilliance, such as those that spanned much of the 1970s and the late 80s.

FIFA World Cup History

The Dutch have never won a FIFA World Cup crown, but they have come mighty close on a number of occasions.

They took part in both the 1934 and 1938 editions of the tournament but failed to win a game in either and then didn't feature in the finals of any World Cup until 1974, and they sure made up for lost time.

Total Football of the 1970s

It would be fair to say that the Dutch national team of the 1970s was the best team never to have won the World Cup, and the array of talent available to Rinus Michels, the manager in 1974, and Ernst Happel, who was in charge in 1978, was monumental.

Built off the back of a hugely successful Ajax side, the likes of Johan Cruyff, Johnny Rep, Ruud Krol, Arie Haan, Rob Rensenbrink, and Johan Neeskens made up the backbone of a Dutch side that reached the final of both tournaments.

In 1974 they took on the well-organized hosts West Germany and even took the lead after two minutes of the final in Munich, only to lose 2-1.

In 1978, again against the hosts, Holland took Argentina to extra time, where they were eventually outfought by Mario Kempes and co.

The 80s saw Holland fail to make the World Cup finals in Spain or Mexico, and 1990 ended in the Round of 16, but 1994 saw a return to form of sorts, with the Dutch losing to Brazil in the quarter-finals in the United States.

In 1998 they went a step further before being eliminated in the semi-finals by Brazil again, this despite the best efforts of the creative genius Dennis Bergkamp.

Another slump followed with the Dutch failing to make it to Japan and South Korea in 2002, and in 2006, another early knockout stage beckoned.

South Africa 2010

Under Bert van Marwijk, a more organized Dutch side battled their way to the final, this time overcoming Brazil in the quarter-finals before defeating Uruguay in the semis.

They then faced Spain in Johannesburg and were unfortunate to lose to a 116th-minute winner from Andres Iniesta.

Four years later, in Brazil, they lost to Argentina in the semi-finals, and in 2018, they missed out on a trip to Russia altogether.

In 2022 in Qatar, the Dutch didn't lose a single game but lost out to Argentina again, this time on penalties, and the dream of a maiden World Cup crown remains elusive.

UEFA European Championship History

The Dutch have enjoyed more tangible success in the European Championships, winning the tournament in 1988 when a whole new era of talent was coming to the fore.

Timeless Trio

Their win in Germany came off the back of world-class AC Milan-based trio Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard.

The Dutch also made it to the semi-finals in both 2000 and 2004, but in recent editions of the tournament, they have proven less effective.

The Netherlands national team suffered a winless exit from the group stage at Euro 2012, losing to Denmark, Germany and Portugal.

Die Oranje didn't feature at the 2016 event after failing to qualify, before returning at the delayed Euro 2020 where they succumbed to Czech Republic in the Round of 16.

Netherlands qualified for Euro 2024 as a top-two finisher in their group alongside France. Their other group opponents were Greece, Gibraltar and Republic of Ireland.

Netherlands National Team - Home Stadium

Though the Dutch national team doesn't have a home stadium as such, the majority of their competitive home games take place at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

They have also recently held home matches in Eindhoven and Rotterdam.

The Johan Cruijff Arena is a fantastic modern stadium with a capacity of 56,130.