The Netherlands has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the twelfth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Despite appearing in three World Cup finals (1974, 1978 & 2010), the Netherlands has never won the tournament.
Head coach and former player Ronald Koeman announced the full squad earlier today. Captain Virgil van Dijk is the leader of the team. The 34-year-old centre-back from Liverpool FC is the defensive leader and one of the key players of the Dutch squad. Also, the all-time goalscorer for the Dutch, Memphis Depay, is in the squad. The 32-year-old Corinthians striker recovered just in time for the FIFA World Cup. This wasn’t the case for Xavi Simons, Jerdy Schouten, and Matthijs de Ligt, who all sustained injuries that ruled them out of the tournament. Important key players for the Netherlands who are in the squad are Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), and Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Full Squad The Netherlands For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland)
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton & Hove Albion), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Jurriën Timber (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Quinten Timber (Olympique de Marseille), Guus Til (PSV), Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion), Marten de Roon (Atlanta BC), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth)
Forwards: Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Donyell Malen (AS Roma), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Wout Weghorst (Ajax), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham United)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
The Dutch qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a group with Poland, Finland, Malta, and Lithuania. After a good start with a win against Finland (0-2) and a home win against Malta (8-0), the Dutch dropped their first points. In Rotterdam, the Polish were able to score a late equalizer to go home with a draw. Three days later, the Dutch struggled against Lithuania but won 2-3. Following victories over Malta and Finland, they faced Poland for the second time, this time playing away from home.
Poland took the lead just before halftime, but the Netherlands equalized through all-time top scorer Memphis Depay to maintain a three-point cushion over the Polish ahead of the final group stage match. Thanks to a much better goal difference than Poland, the Netherlands knew that even a loss would probably not jeopardize their qualification. On November 17, 2025, the Dutch officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Lithuania 4-0 in Amsterdam. With eight goals in eight matches, Memphis Depay was the main goal scorer for the Dutch in the qualifiers.
2026 FIFA World Cup
The Netherlands landed in Group F. The Dutch open their World Cup on June 14 in Arlington, Texas, where they will take on Japan. Six days later, they head to Houston, Texas, to take on Sweden. For their final group stage match, they have to travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on Tunisia on June 25. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
The Netherlands Schedule
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