The Dutch team is heading to North America for the World Cup, and if you’re looking for signs that everything is clicking perfectly, you might want to look away now.
This is, of course, a completely normal state of affairs for Oranje (the Dutch national team, nicknamed after the colour of their famous orange kit).
Mixed signals, a few embarrassing results, and a nation somehow still half-convinced they can win the whole thing; it’s practically a tradition at this point.
So let’s take stock of where things actually stand before the tournament kicks off on June 11.
The warm-up games: a gift for pessimists
The Netherlands’ final home send-off before the World Cup ended in a 1–0 defeat to Algeria at De Kuip in Rotterdam, as a wasteful display in front of goal handed the visitors a statement win.
The decisive moment came courtesy of Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa — who, to add some exquisite irony, plays his club football at the very stadium he scored in. He cut inside, squared up the defender, and curled a brilliant finish into the far corner. Football truly has a sense of humour.
Then came the Uzbekistan friendly on 8 June, played behind closed doors and without an audience, which felt fittingly soulless for a World Cup being staged in American stadiums designed for NFL crowds.
The match ended in a narrow 2–1 victory for the Netherlands, with Cody Gakpo scoring twice, though the Dutch struggled to maintain control and had a goal ruled out for offside before goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was forced off injured.
A Guus Til red card for a double (!) handball arrived late, just for good measure.
It all leaves a slightly joyless picture heading into the tournament, and those soulless, empty-stadium friendlies feel uncomfortably like a preview of what this oversized, commercially bloated World Cup in the US might actually look like.
The squad: strong on paper, leaking players in practice
The quality is genuinely there; it’s just that the squad keeps getting smaller.
Xavi Simons ruptured his ACL in April, ruling him out entirely. Then, this week, Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber was officially ruled out with a persistent groin injury, despite having travelled to the United States with the squad. Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida has been called up as his replacement.
Memphis Depay — now the Dutch all-time top scorer with 55 goals in 108 caps — was also named in the squad despite only two substitute appearances for Brazilian club Corinthians over the past two months, as he battled a hamstring injury.
Koeman’s reasoning: “I selected Memphis because of who he still is. I don’t see anyone else in that position who can do it.” Reassuring. Sort of.
What remains is still formidable. Frenkie de Jong has rediscovered his form under Hansi Flick at Barcelona, while Tijjani Reijnders and Ryan Gravenberch have both had decent seasons at club level.
Cody Gakpo is arguably in the finest form of his international career, with the tactical flexibility to play wide, central, or in support. And Virgil van Dijk remains one of the best (ageing) defenders on the planet, which helps.
Ronald Koeman: present, but looking a bit tired
Koeman’s public messaging has been measured to the point of grey. No grand promises, no real spark, just a man who looks a little uitgeblust (burned out) trying not to show it in front of the cameras.
The qualifying campaign was, to be fair, very solid: the Netherlands finished top of UEFA Group G unbeaten, winning six and drawing two, scoring 27 goals and conceding just four. There is a real team here, so let’s hope that the pre-tournament chaos is just nerves.
Group F fixtures
The Netherlands face Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia in Group F. On paper, this is winnable. In practice, it is exactly the kind of group where one flat performance against Sweden suddenly becomes a national trauma.
| Match | Date | Local time | Dutch time (CET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands vs 🇯🇵 Japan | June 14 | 4 PM ET (Dallas) | 10 PM |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands vs 🇸🇪 Sweden | June 20 | 1 PM ET (Houston) | 7 PM |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia vs 🇳🇱 Netherlands | June 25 | 7 PM ET (Kansas City) | 1 AM (June 26) |
That game against Tunisia at 1 AM Dutch time is going to be a problem for productivity the next morning. Plan accordingly.
So, can the Netherlands actually win this?
Realistically? It would be a surprise.
The concern among analysts is whether this squad coheres into something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Most assessments place the Netherlands in the second tier of genuine contenders; capable of beating anyone on a good day, but not yet at the consistency of France, England, or Argentina.
The Netherlands have been World Cup runners-up three times — 1974, 1978, and 2010 — but have never lifted the trophy. Quarter-finals are realistic, and semi-finals would be exciting.
However, a fourth final would already be a serious overachievement.
None of that will stop tens of thousands of Dutch fans from descending on the US in head-to-toe orange, turning every host city into a particularly loud gezellige fever dream and confusing a great many Americans who will assume it’s some kind of Halloween situation.
Or in classic Dutch fan logic: we can beat anyone when we’re at our best.
They’re not wrong. They’re just also not always at their best.
Will you be watching Oranje this summer? And do you think they can make it past the quarter-finals? Let us know in the comments.
