Netherlands national football team records and statistics

This page details Netherlands men's national football team records; the most capped players, the players with the most goals, Netherlands' match record by opponent and decade.

Honours

Major tournaments

• FIFA World Cup:
  • Runners-up (3): 1974, 1978, 2010
  • Third place (1): 2014
  • Fourth place (1): 1998
• UEFA European Championship:
  • Winners (1): 1988
  • Third place (1): 1976
  • Semi-finals (3): 1992, 2000, 2004
• UEFA Nations League:
  • Runners-up (1): 2019
  • Fourth place (1): 2023
• Olympic football tournament:

• Bronze medal/Third place (3): 1908, 1912, 1920
• Fourth place (1): 1924

Friendly tournaments

• Olympic Football Consolation Tournament
  • Winners: 1928
• Tournoi de Paris
  • Winners: 1978
• 75th Anniversary FIFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 1979
• World Champions' Gold Cup
  • Fourth Place: 1980
• Copa Confraternidad
  • Runners-up: 2011

Individual records

Player records

Most-capped players

Sherida Spitse is the most capped player in the history of Netherlands with 229 appearances.

Last updated: 02 April 2024
Source:http://www.voetbalstats.nl/caps.php voetbalstats.nl] (in Dutch)

Past Most-capped record holders

Feyenoord legend Puck van Heel has held the record the longest for 42 years.

Last updated: 1 April 2024
Source: [1] (in Dutch)

Top goalscorers

Vivianne Miedema is the top scorer in the history of Netherlands with 95 goals in 118 appearances

Last updated: 2 April 2024
Source: voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch)

Record holding top goalscorers

Eddy de Neve is the Netherlands first topscorer with 3 caps and 6 goals. To date he still holds the highest goal average, among top scorers.

Last updated: 02 April 2024
Source: [2] (in Dutch)

Hat-tricks

Robin van Persie scored four goals for the Dutch national side during their 11–0 win over minnows San Marino on 2 September 2011. He scored three goals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Hungary on 11 October 2013.

Last updated: 19 November 2021
Source: voetbalstats.nl (in Dutch)

Age records

• Oldest player to make debut: Sander Boschker, aged 39 years and 256 days vs  Ghana, 1 June 2010
• Youngest player to make debut: Jan van Breda Kolff, aged 17 years and 74 days vs  Belgium, 2 April 1911 RSSSF
• Oldest player to score: Abe Lenstra, aged 38 years and 143 days [3] vs  Belgium, 19 April 1959
• Youngest player to score: Jan van Breda Kolff, aged 17 years and 74 days vs  Belgium, 2 April 1911

Progression of the Netherlands association football goalscoring record

This is a progressive list of association footballers who have held or co-held the record for international goals for the Netherlands national football team.

For the early decades, records of players appearances and goals were often considered unreliable. RSSSF and IFFHS have spent much effort trying to produce definitive lists of full international matches, and corresponding data on players' international caps and goals. Using this data, the following records can be retrospectively produced. Note that, at the time, these records may not have been recognised.

Manager records

Team records

Tournament records

• The Netherlands used all 23 players during the 2014 World Cup, making it the first team in World Cup history to ever use all of its squad players.
• World Cup appearances: 11 (most recent in 2022)
• Most successful World Cup appearance: Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
• European Championship appearances: 10 (most recent in 2020)
• Most successful European Championship appearance: Winners (1988)
• Summer Olympics appearances: 8 (most recent in 2008)
• Most successful Olympics appearance: Third place (1908, 1912, 1920)

Match records

Firsts

• First match: Belgium  1–4  Netherlands (Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905)
• First World Cup finals match: Switzerland  3–2  Netherlands (Milan, Italy; 27 May 1934)
• First European Championship finals match: Netherlands  1–3  Czechoslovakia (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 16 June 1976)

Record results

• Biggest win:
  • Netherlands  11–0  San Marino (Eindhoven, Netherlands; 2 September 2011)
• Biggest loss:
  • England AM. 12–2  Netherlands (Darlington, England; 21 December 1907)

Head-to-head records

As of 26 March 2024.

• Draws include penalty shoot-outs.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Rankings

FIFA

• Highest FIFA Rank: 1 (August 2011)
• Lowest FIFA Rank: 32 (April 2017)
• FIFA Team of the Year First place: 1

2000

• FIFA Team of the Year Third place: 3

2005, 2008, 2009

Elo

• Highest Elo ranking: 1
  (June 1978, June 1988 – June 1990, June–September 1992, June 2002, June–September 2003, October 2005, June 2008, July 2010, June 2014)
• Lowest Elo Ranking: 56 (October 1954)

References

1. Italy national football team records and statistics
2. Belgium national football team records and statistics
3. Netherlands national football team
4. Spain national football team records and statistics
5. Brazil national football team records and statistics
6. England national football team records and statistics
7. Mexico national football team records and statistics
8. Germany national football team records and statistics
9. Argentina national football team records and statistics
10. Portugal national football team records and statistics
11. Scotland national football team records and statistics
12. Croatia national football team records and statistics
13. Iran national football team records and statistics
14. Colombia national football team records and statistics
15. FIFA World Cup records and statistics
16. UEFA European Championship records and statistics
17. Wales national football team records and statistics
18. Turkey national football team
19. Sweden national football team records and statistics
20. Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics