Top News

The Netherlands national football team is considered to have a strong squad for the 2026 World Cup, yet that strength alone doesn’t automatically make them favourites to lift the trophy.

This assessment comes directly from their former head coach during the 2020–2021 period, Frank de Boer.

The 56-year-old believes the Dutch team will likely reach only the quarter-final stage at the 2026 World Cup.

According to De Boer, who also previously managed Inter Milan, De Oranje’s inconsistent performances remain a major concern.

“We have a good team, but we are not one of the favourites. I think we can reach the quarter-finals,” De Boer told Flashscore, as quoted by BolaSport.com.

“I know that other countries don’t want to face us because we can sometimes play fantastic football, but I think we are a bit inconsistent,” he added.

“In a tournament like this, you can’t afford to have a bad day. Maybe you can get away with it in the group stage, but after that, you simply can’t,” continued De Boer.

Beyond inconsistency, De Boer also has another reason why he thinks the Netherlands will struggle to win the 2026 World Cup — the lack of a reliable striker compared to other top nations.

He pointed out that Memphis Depay, Ronald Koeman’s main man in attack, is not a pure striker like England’s Harry Kane.

De Boer also suggested that Depay doesn’t possess the same clinical finishing ability as France’s Kylian Mbappe when it comes to converting chances into goals.

In De Boer’s view, this could become a stumbling block for De Oranje in their quest for their first-ever World Cup title.

“We lack the kind of strikers other nations have. Strikers like Harry Kane or players of that calibre — we don’t have them in the Netherlands,” he explained.

“Memphis Depay is a good player, but he is not a natural striker. He always looks for space.”

“I think our forwards have quality, but not the same finishing quality as players like Kylian Mbappe,” he added.

“We have entertaining players like Frenkie de Jong and midfielders who play very well, but I don’t think we have a real star in our attack.”

“Virgil van Dijk is a star in defence. Jurrien Timber plays very well, and Denzel Dumfries and Micky van de Ven are also top-level players.”

“The goalkeeper is good, and in midfield we have De Jong, Tijani Reijnders, and Ryan Gravenberch. But it’s the forward line that worries me,” he concluded.

The absence of a top striker in the Netherlands’ attacking line has been noticeable since the 2022 World Cup.

In that tournament, they brought seven forwards, with only Depay having a double-digit goal record for De Oranje.

For the 2026 edition, the three-time World Cup runners-up once again selected seven forwards, with Depay still leading the attack.

The rest of the attacking lineup includes Wout Weghorst, Cody Gakpo, Noa Lang, Donyell Malen, Brian Brobbey, and Crysencio Summerville.