Competing in their 12th World Cup, the Netherlands are still searching for their first title. They have reached the final three times—in 1974, 1978, and 2010—but have never lifted the trophy. Their path to the 2026 tournament proved relatively smooth. Drawn into Group G of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers alongside Finland, Poland, Lithuania, and Malta, they finished top with six wins, two draws, and no losses, securing direct qualification.
The squad features the nation's all-time leading scorer, Memphis Depay. Now playing for Brazilian club Corinthians, Depay is set to appear in his third World Cup. He leads an attack that also includes Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen, the latter having impressed at AS Roma since joining the Italian club on loan earlier this year. Justin Kluivert also makes the cut. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will captain the side, hoping to guide his country to its first title, while Manchester City pair Nathan Aké and Tijjani Reijnders have also been selected. One of the bigger surprises is the recall of Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon, who has not featured for the Netherlands in some time.
The most notable absentee is Liverpool full-back Jeremie Frimpong, who endured a difficult, injury-plagued season and struggled to make an impact at his club. Xavi Simons is also out after suffering an ACL injury while playing for Tottenham in April.
Head coach Ronald Koeman remains optimistic but grounded about his team's prospects. "We're competing to win, but I'm well aware of the reality and what other countries can bring. Nothing is impossible, and that's what we're going for," he said. "I'm convinced we can go far and that we have a team that's hard to beat, but winning matches against the big nations is still a long way off."
Netherlands is part of Group F, alongside Japan, Tunisia, and Sweden. The Oranje open their campaign against Japan on June 14 at AT&T Stadium, before facing Sweden on June 20 at NRG Stadium and closing out the group stage against Tunisia on June 25 at Arrowhead Stadium
Netherlands 2026 World Squad:
Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton), Robin Roefs (Sunderland), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen)
Defenders: Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Denzel Dumfries (Inter ), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven), Mats Wieffer (Brighton)
Forwards: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham), Wout Weghorst (Ajax)
