The Netherlands won the 2017 Euros on home soil. Photo Credit: UEFA via Twitter.
The Oranje Leeuwinnen will be looking to do one better and lift the World Cup after reaching the final in 2019. Dutch women’s football has been on the rise for a number of years as the interest in the side is rapidly growing. Andries Jonker has named his 23-player squad with the notable absence of record goal scorer, Vivianne Miedema, who is side lined through an ACL injury sustained in December 2022.
Optimism is still present and the side head down under to prove themselves after a disappointing Euros campaign last summer.
World Cup History
The Netherlands have rocketed to success over the past decade. After qualifying for their first World Cup in 2015, the Oranje Leeuwinnen went on to win the 2017 Euros on home soil and then were finalists in the 2019 World Cup. No team has quite had a rise like that but, unfortunately it hasn’t seemed to have lasted.
2019 (2nd)
In 2019, The Netherlands topped their group, notably securing a 2-1 win over Canada. In the latter stages, the side beat Japan, Italy and Sweden to progressed to the final against holders, USA. Two quick goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle saw the Netherlands fall 2-0 down and it ended in defeat for the Duchies.
The USA truly dominated the 2019 World Cup but it was a huge statement by the Netherlands, making the final, especially given the increased interest back home since their Euros success.
2015 (13th round of 16)
In Canada, The Netherlands placed 3rd in their group but advanced to the round of 16. They drew a difficult group with Canada and China finishing ahead of them. Japan, who went on to reach the final, knocked out the Orange Lionesses, ending their tournament prematurely.
It was an impressive show given it was their first World Cup and that how young the side was. A sign of their youthful 2015 squad is that seven players in the 2023 squad– Stefanie van der Gragt, Sherida Spitse, Daniëlle van de Donk, Lieke Martens, Dominique Janssen, Merel van Dongen and Jill Roord – featured at the 2015 edition.
Recent Form
Belgium win
The Netherlands enjoyed a mammoth win ahead of the World Cup over neighbours Belgium who haven’t qualified for the tournament. In a 5-0 victory, there were goals from Leike Martens, Sherida Spitse, Lineth Beerensteyn, Victoria Pelova and Katja Snoeijs, showing the depth of goal scorers – particularly in the absence of record goal scorer, Vivianne Miedema.
Germany loss
Sydney Lohmann’s 53rd minute goal for Germany saw the Netherlands fall to a 1-0 defeat in April. However, the Oranje Leeuwinnen had the stronger game, dominating possession. It was also a weaker Netherlands side than usual with plenty of rotation meaning that a full-strength Dutch side could perhaps further challenge the Germans.
The Netherlands’ Group E: Portugal, USA, Vietnam
The Netherlands will play their group games in New Zealand in Dunedin and the capital, Wellington. They will face champions, USA and then Portugal and Vietnam before hoping to progress to the latter stages.
Portugal (21st)
The first fixture for the Netherlands is against Portugal who drew 0-0 with England in a send off match. Portugal recently lost 3-2 to the Netherlands in the Euros but A Selecção das Quinas had a strong, undefeated World Cup qualification campaign. Portuagal have some exciting young prospects in midfielder Andreia Jacinto and striker Telma Encarnação but also experienced talent such as Jéssica Silva and Sílvia Rebelo.
USA (1st)
The USA are a beatable side, but it will be a tough game for the Netherlands. Not only are the USA the current holders, but they are also favourites heading into the competition. The two sides have a history having met in the World Cup final. But, with 14 tournament debutants in USA’s squad, it is much different to that of the winning team in 2019.
Vietnam (32nd)
Vietnam will be featuring at the World Cup for the first time. Skipper, Huỳnh Như is the only player in the squad to play outside of Vietnam, making most of the team a slight unknown entity to European teams. In May, Vietnam won the 2023 Southeast Asian Games Women’s Football Tournament and have found good recent form. It should be an easy win for the Netherlands but given the Dutch’s challenging group, they will be hoping to secure points here.
The Netherlands’ Chances
It’s hard to see the Netherlands enjoying as much success as they did in the 2019 World Cup but it won’t be a disaster. The squad has some of the most experienced European players at some top clubs along side some young stars who are a real asset to the team. A semi-finals sport could be seen as a real success but a quarterfinals place is slightly more likely.
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