FINAL UPDATE:
2026 WORLD CUP · ROUND OF 32
Netherlands
OranjeOrange
ELIMINATEDGroup F, finished 1st
IN OUR BEST THIRDS RANKING
#13OUR RANK
8PTS
+6GD
11GF
Netherlands is out of the 2026 World Cup, eliminated after the Round of 32 (1/16 finals).

The Netherlands opened Group F at the 2026 World Cup with a 2-2 draw against Japan, 10 places lower in the world ranking. A 5-1 win over Sweden, 30 places lower in the world ranking, followed on matchday 2, and they closed the group stage with a 3-1 victory over Tunisia to finish top of Group F on 7 points with a goal difference of 6. Winning their group, they carried genuine momentum into the knockout stage.

The Netherlands were among the biggest casualties of the Round of 32, drawing 1-1 with Morocco before losing 2-3 on penalties. The eighth-ranked side went out at the first knockout hurdle.

HOW IT ENDED

One win from the Round of 16.
Netherlands
1–1 (pens 2–3)
Morocco
ROUND OF 32 · · AFTER PENALTIES · ELIMINATED
WHAT WAS NEXT · NEVER REACHED
ROUND OF 16

PER MATCH · INCL. GROUP STAGE

2.00PTS / match
2.75GF / match
−0.75FAIR / match

Across 4 matches (group stage included), Netherlands has averaged 2.00 points and 2.75 goals scored per game, with 0.75 fair-play points lost per game.

PLAYED

Group FDREW Japan
Group FWON Sweden
Group FWON Tunisia
Round of 32LOST , decided on penaltiesMorocco
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Won the group in the end. Netherlands topped their group to qualify outright, so the best-thirds cut this tracker is built on did not settle where they finished.

How hard was Netherlands’s road at this World Cup?

Every team’s road through the tournament, on one chart. Each line shows how hard each stage is. The base is the gap in FIFA world ranking between the two sides; on top of that, current form (each team’s last three matches, and how convincingly they were won against how strong an opponent) nudges the step: a hot opponent makes it taller, a team’s own hot form makes its own steps shorter. Higher means a tougher road. In the group stage the opponents are known, so each match sits at a fixed height; each knockout round shows the average difficulty across every opponent still left in that round. Netherlands’s road is highlighted, along with every team it played. Hover or tap any team to compare, or pick one from the legend.

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