Dutch team: Stand side by side with Koeman towards the 2026 World Cup

In Group F of the 2026 World Cup, the Dutch team will face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. The team is currently ranked 7th in the FIFA rankings, marking their 12th World Cup participation. Coach Ronald Koeman, a legend of Dutch football, has returned to lead the team after holding this position from 2018 to 2020. This is the first time he has led the national team on the world stage, after attending two World Cups (1990 and 1994) as a player.

Road to World Cup
To win tickets to attend the tournament in North America, the Netherlands had to wait until the final match of the qualifying round, where they won 4-0 against Lithuania to ensure their place in the next round. The Oranje team finished the qualifying round without losing a match, only dropping points in two 1-1 draws against Poland, the second-placed team. Their run was truly impressive with 27 goals scored in the entire qualifying round, with only Norway scoring more.

Lineup
The Dutch team under the leadership of Koeman will play with a 4-2-3-1 formation, focusing on attacking and putting pressure on the opponent. A typical example of this philosophy is Denzel Dumfries, a right-back who has the ability to participate in attacks very effectively. As a striker, Memphis Depay will be the main striker, with three wingers supporting behind. The star and captain of the team is Virgil Van Dijk, a Liverpool player. In the midfield, the combination of Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch will ensure quality and strength for the squad. Finally, Donyell Malen, a player of AS Roma, is in good form after scoring 14 goals in just the past 4 months.

List of players
Goalkeeper - Bart Verbruggen (Brighton), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland).
Defenders - Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter), Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Lutsharel Geertruida (Sunderland), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Jean Paul van Hecke (Brighton), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea).
Midfielders - Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Mats Wieffer (Brighton), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham United).
Forward - Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Wout Weghorst (Ajax), Donyell Malen (Roma), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Bryan Brobbey (Sunderland).

Dutch expected lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Aké; De Jong, Gravenberch; Malen, Kluivert, Gakpo; Depay. Coach: Koeman.