🇳🇱 Netherlands
Europe · FIFA NLD
Key Statistics
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: The Netherlands are the eternal bridesmaid of world football, forever standing on the precipice of glory only to trip over their own shoelaces. They invented "Total Football," produced some of the greatest players in history, and yet their trophy cabinet remains embarrassingly dusty.
They are always "on the verge" of finally doing it, making for great tournament hype before they inevitably crash out in a penalty shootout or lose a final they should have won. Let's be honest: at this point, their inability to seal the deal is not bad luck, it's a personality trait.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 10 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 18 | — |
| 2010 | South Africa | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 18 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | — |
| 1998 | France | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 11 | — |
| 1994 | United States | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 9 | — |
| 1990 | Italy | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 1978 | Argentina | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 11 | — |
| 1974 | West Germany | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 16 | — |
| 1938 | France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — |
| Total | 11 editions | 55 | 31 | 10 | 14 | 96 | 52 | 103 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Netherlands has a population of 18.1M and an estimated GDP of $879.6B. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 5.31 | #9 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 5.69 | #6 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 1.71 | #6 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #54 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.11 | #21 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.12 | #15 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.04 | #14 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #54 / 84 |