In what was undoubtedly the most anticipated matchup of the Round of 32, it looked as if the Netherlands were heading for the Round of 16 after Cody Gakpo’s 73rd minute strike gave them a 1-0 lead over Morocco. However, Issa Diop had other ideas, as his header in the first minute of stoppage time tied the game at one apiece. The two sides couldn’t be separated in extra time, so it was penalties that would determine their fate. After one of the most drama-filled penalty shootouts you will ever see, it was Ismael Saibairi who won the game for Morocco with his spot kick. As Morocco advance and the Netherlands head home, it is yet another tournament of what if for the Dutch. This loss will hurt them for a while, but if any nation is built to withstand it, it’s the Netherlands. A penalty loss in the Round of 32 after topping the group is just the latest chapter in a history of World Cup heartbreak.
The Netherlands are a staple of international football. They have given the world of football some of the greatest talents the game has ever seen, producing the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Arjen Robben and Marco Van Basten, to name a few. Of course the most legendary Dutch footballer of them all is the great Johan Cruyff, a three-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the most influential players in the history of the sport. However, for as much success the Netherlands have had at producing world class players, they have never reached their potential on the biggest stage, winning just one major trophy, the 1988 European Championships. However, with this year’s exit, the Dutch will go at least four more years without a World Cup triumph, being without doubt the biggest footballing nation to never win football’s biggest prize. In fact, their history in the competition is so gut-wrenching that it defies belief.
The Netherlands’ first appearance on the world stage was not met with much expectation. In 1934, the second edition of the competition, they fell 3-2 to Switzerland in the Round of 16, the first round of the competition as there were no group stages. In 1938, they failed to improve on their performance four years before, falling 3-0 to 1934 finalists Czechoslovakia. Despite the scoreline, though, the game was won in extra time, a bad omen of things to come for the Netherlands.
Of course, the next decade saw no World Cups due to World War II. In 1950 and 1954, the Dutch did not enter qualification due to economic struggles following the war, and a ban on professional football in the country. The Netherlands did enter qualifying for the next four editions of the World Cup, but failed on each occasion. The closest they came was in 1958, when they finished second in a group of three for qualifying, losing out to Austria by two points, having thrown away a two goal lead to them in Vienna, before drawing 1-1 in Amsterdam later on in the qualification process. Following three more failed qualification attempts, the Netherlands finally qualified in 1974, scoring 24 goals and conceding just two in the process, beating out a Belgium team that did not concede a goal in the entirety of qualifying (Belgium were very unlucky not to qualify as they were denied a winning goal against the Netherlands for an incorrect offside call).
The 1974 World Cup, the tournament where the Cruyff turn was born. The Netherlands entered the competition with high hopes. They had the best player in the world on their team, Johan Cruyff, who had just won his second Ballon d’Or. But it wasn’t just Cruyff on this legendary team. The Ajax side which had dominated European football, with three straight European cups between 1971-1973, made up the core of the squad. The Netherlands were emphatic on their way to the final, topping the first group stage with two wins and a draw, conceding just one goal. In the second group stage, where the top team from each of the two groups would make up the final, they were even more dominant. They defeated Argentina 4-0, then East Germany, who had defeated West Germany in the first group stage, 2-0. Their final matchup was essentially a semi-final as they faced Brazil, the reigning champions who had won three of the last four world cups. But the Dutch were too much for the three-time winners. Cruyff and Johan Neeskens each scored in a 2-0 win to take the Netherlands to their first ever World Cup final, having conceded just one goal and scoring 14 in six games.
The 1974 final saw the Netherlands start six players who had been a part of the dominant Ajax side of the 1970s. There were also other European Cup winners in the team, such as Wim Jansen and Willem van Hanegem, who had won Europe’s biggest club competition in 1970 with Feyenoord. ‘Total Football’ had dominated Europe already, and now it was dominating the globe. In the final, the Netherlands faced hosts West Germany, who had star power of their own, with Gerd Muller up front and Franz Beckenbauer at the back who, amongst others in the squad, were coming off a European Cup triumph with Bayern Munich. Beckenbauer had been part of both previous world cup sides, with his team losing in the 1966 final in extra time, and then in the 1970 semi-final, also in extra time. The Dutch couldn’t have started the game any better, as Cruyff was brought down after bursting into the box, giving Neeskens the chance to give them the lead from the spot after two minutes, a chance he took. Unfortunately, though, that is where Dutch footbll peaked on the world stage, with this being the only time they have led in a World Cup final. From that moment onwards, it has been heartbreak for the Oranje. 24 minutes after Neeskens’ goal, the hosts had a penalty of their own, won by Bernd Holzenbein and converted by Paulo Breitner. Johnny Rep had a chance to put the Netherlands back in front in the first half but was denied by West German goalkeeper, Sepp Maier, after Cruyff had set him up on the counter attack. This wouldn’t be the last time the Netherlands would miss a one on one to take the lead in a World Cup final.
Just six minutes after Rep’s missed chance, Gerd Muller gave West Germany the lead, two minutes before the break. The game saw more drama in the second half, with Breitner clearing the ball off the line, and Gerd Muller being denied his second of the game by the linesman despite clearly being onside. The Netherlands were the ones who dominated the second half, though, registering 11 shots in that period alone. Rep had several chances, one being somehow denied by Maier, another being somehow put wide from less than six yards out, with his sliding attempt missing the target, and a third being dragged wide of the far post after a strong run into the right side of the box. Neeskens also had a good attempt from about 25 yards but it whistled past the wrong side of the post yet again, and that was the Dutch’s last effort. West Germany were world champions, and this legendary Netherlands team had fallen at the final hurdle. This was the last match of Rinus Michels’ first stint as the national team manager.
In 1978, the Netherlands entered the tournament with a new manager in Ernst Happel and also arrived without their star man. For personal reasons that would warrant another article in itself, Cruyff did not play in the tournament. However, the same core group of players remained, with nine of the starters from the 1974 final starting the Dutch’s first game against Iran in the 1978 World Cup. Despite a 3-0 win to open the tournament, this side did not showcase their strength early on in the competition. They drew to Peru 0-0 in their second match, before losing to Scotland 3-2 in the final match of the first group stage. Despite the defeat to the Scots, however, the Netherlands pipped them to second place on goal difference, qualifying for the second group stage, where they showed off their ‘Total Football’ style on the world stage again. They defeated Austria 5-1, before drawing 2-2 with West Germany in a rematch of the 1974 final. In their final match, the Netherlands defeated Italy 2-1 after coming from behind, securing their place in a second straight final. Even without their main man, the Dutch were back.
For the second straight tournament, the Netherlands were in the final, and once again they faced the hosts, this time in the form of Argentina. The Netherlands had easily dispatched of the South American side in the second group stage in 1974, but faced a much taller task now, on away soil. This final kickstarted a legendary rilvalry. Unlike 1974, however, the Netherlands never took the lead in this game. They trailed after 38 minutes after a Mario Kempes goal. The Netherlands did not go out easy, though, as substitute Dick Nanninga levelled the tie in the 82nd minute with a header. In fact, the visitors almost spoiled the party in the last minute of normal time but Rob Rensenbrink was denied by the post after latching onto a long ball. Inches away from being champions of the world, but instead extra time awaited.
In extra time, Argentina proved too much for their new-found rivals. Mario Kempes scored his second of the game, through a rebound off his own shot after a brilliant bit of footwork to enter the Dutch box. Kempes was heavily involved in the third goal as well, assisting Daniel Bertoni, who secured a 3-1 win for Argentina in the 115th minute, giving the Netherlands the dubious title of being the first team to lose two World Cup finals in a row. Total football had revolutionised the sport, but in a second bite at the cherry, it hadn’t reached its crowning achievement on the world stage. Perhaps things would have been different in 1978 had Cruyff been playing, but we will never know.
It is important to note that while this piece is dedicated around the Netherlands’ World Cup struggles, they did win the European Championships in 1988, their only ever piece of silverware, with Marco Van Basten scoring his legendary volley in the 2-0 win in the final.
The next time we would see the Netherlands at the World Cup, however, would be 1990, two years after their continental triumph. Despite being European chamapions, their performance in Italy was nowhere near the level of that in ’74 and ’78. The Dutch drew all three group games to Egypt, England and Ireland, scraping through as a best third place team. In the Round of 16, they faced West Germany, runners up in the previous two World Cups, in a monster clash early in the tournament. But there was no revenge for 1974. In a game which saw each team have a player sent off for an incident in the first half, West Germany’s two second half goals were enough for the victory, despite Ronald Koeman’s penalty late on. The teams of ’74 and ’78 maybe should have lifted the trophy at least once, but they at least lived up to their potential by reaching the final. In 1990, however, the Netherlands massively underperformed as they exited the tournament with just three goals, and no wins. In fairness, though, the team that knocked the Dutch out did go on to win the tournament, the third straight occasion that had happened, and it wouldn’t be the last.
In 1994, with another star-studded team which included the likes of Bergkamp, Koeman, Marc Overmars and Frank Riijkaard, the Dutch entered with high hopes. There was no Van Basten or Ruud Gullit, however, as Van Basten was kept out of the tournament through injury, while Gullit had disagreements with the coaching staff that kept him at home. Still, though, this team performed much better than four years before. A pair of 2-1 wins saw them top the group despite a three-way tie of teams on six points (Sauid Arabia and Belgium). After a 2-0 win over Ireland in the Round of 16, the Netherlands faced Brazil in the quarter finals. Following a first half which saw no goals, the game sprung into life after the break. Brazil took a two goal lead in the span of ten minutes, but 14 minuets later the Dutch were level. However, with nine minutes to go, Branco’s long range free kick won it for Brazil. The Dutch were sent packing. As for their opponents, you guessed it, Brazil went on to win the tournament, their fourth World Cup, and the fourth time in a row the Netherlands had been eliminated by the eventual champion.
1998 saw a new kind of heartbreak. After topping the group, the Netherlands defeated Yugoslavia in stoppage time, before reigniting their rilvalry with Argentina in the quarter finals. In a fesity affair which saw a red card for both sides, Dennis Bergkamp scored one of the most iconic goals in World Cup history, plucking the ball out of the sky, before finishing into the far corner, winning the Netherlands the tie in the final minute. A semi-final against Brazil was next, the team that had knocked them out of the previous tournament late on. Ronaldo Nazario gave Brazil the lead, before Patrick Kluivert levelled the scoring in the 87th minute. After a scoreless extra time, penalties awaited, the Netherlands’ first ever shootout at a World Cup.
Many people associate England with penalty heartbreak, and rightly so. However, the Netherlands probably take top spot in terms of gut-wrenching penalty losses. They had been eliminated from Euro ’92 and Euro ’96 on penalties. In this match against Brazil, they fared no better. After both teams converted their first two penalties, Brazil were successful on their next two, but the Dutch were not on either, with Phillip Cocu and Ronald de Boer both being denied by Claudio Taffarel. Brazil advanced to the final and the Netherlands had been introduced for the pain of penalties and, as we know, this would not be the last shootout heartbreak. Whether it’s a consolation or not, though, Brazil lost in the final, breaking the Netherlands’ streak of losing to the eventual winner.
For what it’s worth, the Netherlands also crashed out of Euro 2000 on penalties, a third straight elimination from major tournaments on penalties, and the fourth one in the last five competitions they had entered. They did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup, though, meaning 2006 is our next case study. A 0-0 draw with Argentina, of course, saw the Netherlands finish second in their group on goal difference, leaving a tricky tie against Portugal, who had made the Euros final two years previously after beating the Netherlands in the semi-final. In what would become known as ‘The Battle of Nuremberg’, there were a record number of cards, with 16 yellows, and four reds, something that was becoming a theme in Dutch World Cup knockout matches, and would continue to be prevalent. Despite 26 shots from the Netherlands, though, Portugal came out victorious, with Maniche, who scored what would be the deciding goal in the Euro 2004 semi-final, being the sole goal scorer in the match. This may not have been a loss on penalties, or in extra time, or in a final, but losing a match that was as ill-disciplined as this one is always a tough way to go out, a lesson the Netherlands would soon learn again, and again. With this article being written before the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, Portugal remain the only team since that day to beat the Netherlands in a 90 minute match at the World Cup, and are also the only team since 1938 to eliminate the Netherlands from the World Cup and not make the final.
In 2010, the Netherlands got as close as they have ever been to a World Cup win. They won all three group games, before defeating Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay on the way to the final. Up against the European champions in Spain with both nations looking to claim football’s greatets prize for the first time, this was another clash filled with cards. The Netherlands received nine yellow cards (including a second yellow for Johnny Heitinga in extra time). The Dutch’s biggest chance came after about an hour as Arjen Robben was slipped through to find himself one on one with Iker Casillas. But the Dutchman was denied by the trailing leg of the Spanish goalkeeper, keeping the score at 0-0. Evenetually, with the Netherlands down to 10 men, it was Andres Iniesta who won it for Spain in the 116th minute, firing the ball past the helpless Maarten Stekelenburg, to score the latest winning goal in World Cup final history. The Netherlands had fallen at the final hurdle once again, becoming the second team to lose three finals, and the first to do so while never winning the World Cup.
In 2014, the Netherlands started the tournament with revenge against Spain, defeating their foe 5-1 in the opening group match. After wins against Australia and Chile, they topped the group with a maximum nine points, before defeating Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 16. In the quarter finals, it was finally time for the Netherlands to experience some joy in penalties, beating Costa Rica from the spot after a 0-0 draw, as goalkeeper Tim Krul was famously subbed on specifically for the shootout, justifying the decision with two saves. In the semi-finals, though, the penalty hurt would return. Against their old rival, Argentina, the Dutch were held to another 0-0 draw after extra time. On penalties, Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneidjer were denied by Sergio Romero, but Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, this time kept on the pitch for spot kicks, could not recreate Krul’s heroics. Maxi Rodriguez’s winning penalty hit Cillessen’s hands but still found the back of the net and Argentina had won, and just like in 1998, the Netherlands had been denied a trip to the World Cup final on penalties.
2018 was a disaster for the Netherlands as they failed to even qualify, finishing behind Sweden and eventual champions France in their qualifying group. In 2022, they were back, and showed they could be contenders again. With a talented team including Virgil Van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Frenkie de Jong, and many other top level players, they topped their group after wins over Senegal and Qatar, as well a draw against Ecuador. The Dutch brushed aside the USA with a 3-1 win in the Round of 16. In the quarter finals, they faced Argentina once again. This was the sixth meeting at World Cup between the sides, and the fourth in knockout stages, fifth if you count the second group stage in 1974 as a knockout round. Once again, ill-discipline was a heavy theme in this matchup. Argentina took a 2-0 lead in the game, with Lionel Messi setting up the first and scoring the second. It looked as if the Netherlands were going to be beat in comfortable fashion in a World Cup knockout match, a rare sight. However, substitute Wout Weghorst had other plans. The substitute pulled one back with a header, before scoring from a free kick routine with a great turn and finish to make it 2-2 in the 11th minute of stoppage time, giving fans another 30 minutes of drama. After extra time, the score remained 2-2. But before the dreaded penalties took place, Noa Lang was booked, and Denzel Dumfries was shown two separate yellow cards, giving the game 18 yellows, as well as a red card, overtaking the ‘Battle of Nuremberg’ for the most yellows in a World Cup match. But the business still had to be done from the spot, and it couldn’t have been a worse start for the Netherlands. Captain Van Dijk missed first, before Steven Berghuis was also denied by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez, with Argentina scoring each of their first two penalties. An Enzo Fernandes miss gave the Dutch hope but it wasn’t enough as Lautauro Martinez’s penalty secured the win for Argentina. The Netherlands had been eliminated on penalties for a third time at the World Cup, with Argentina going on to win the competition.
Now we arrive in the modern day. The Dutch again had a strong group stage, topping Group F after a 5-1 win against Sweden and a 3-1 win agaisnt Tunisia, results that followed a 2-2 draw with Japan. Despite topping their group, however, they were drawn against Morocco, the sixth ranked team in the world, who had finished second in their group to Brazil. As we all know, the Netherlands led through Cody Gakpo in the 72nd minute, but were denied a win in 90 minutes by Issa Diop, who equalised in the first minute of stoppage time. After an extra time period where Morocco looked like the only team wanting to win the game, we witnessed one of the craziest penalty shootouts ever. 2-2 after three penalties each, the Netherlands were unlucky not to be ahead, as Bart Verbruggen looked to have denied Soufiane Rahimi’s penalty, but the Dutch keeper’s trailing leg kicked the ball back into the net. It was like an own goal in a penalty shootout, something that could only happen to the Netherlands. Quinten Timber stepped up to give his side the advantage but missed the target. Moroccan captain, Achraf Hakimi, was next, but hit the same post Justin Kluivert had hit for the Netherlands earlier in the shootout. Then stepped up Crysencio Summerville, one of the Netherlands’ best players this tournament. But he was denied by Yassine Bono, who moved incredibly early and was rewarded for doing so. Ismael Saibari was up next, and he made no mistake in his spot kick, sending Morocco through and knocking out the Netherlands on penalties. A third consecutive World Cup penalty shootout elimination for the Dutch, and the fourth in their history, tying the record.
To sum up in short, since World War II, the Netherlands have been eliminated from World Cups in the following fashion: Four losses on penalties, including a semi-final. Three losses in the final, including two in extra time. They have never been defeated by more than one goal in 90 minutes in a knockout match, with their only eliminations by more than a goal coming in extra time. The Netherlands is one of the greatest footballing nations in the world, but it could have been so much greater. So many great players and managers over the years, but not much success despite coming so close again and again. In 2030, they will go again, but for now, the Dutch remain without a world title.