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FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualified Team: the Netherlands
Updated: Sep 6, 2022
National Team
The Netherlands made a total of 10 World Cup appearances. They traditionally play in bright orange which gained them their nickname in Dutch as Oranje. They’re also named after the House of Orange-Nassau.
The Netherlands coined the phrase “Total Football” back in the 1970s meaning any player can fill another player’s position in the team. It is a tactical playing theory where outfield players are trained to be able to adopt the position of any other player in the team. It was exactly this tactic that pushed the Netherlands to the successive World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1978. It’s been a while since the Netherlands last made a World Cup appearance which was back in 2010 when they lost to Spain.
Their most legendary player is Johan Cruyff who was considered the best player in the world back from 1970-1974 and won the prestigious Ballon d’Or three times. Cruyff was also famous for his imaginative playmaking. He helped Ajax Amsterdam win 3 European Cups on the bounce. The Netherlands have disappointingly been massive underachievers having only won one international tournament: the 1988 Euros.
Touring the Netherlands
The best time to visit the country is usually between September to November where you can catch the changing colours after the summer months. It won’t be too busy, and temperatures will be a comfortable 9-19c. The Netherlands is known for their beautiful tulips and windmills. The windmills were historically used for pumping water out of the lowlands into the rivers, but now it is mainly for the picturesque scenery for the tourists that come from all over the world.
About 98% of the population are Dutch speakers with West Frissian spoken by nearly ½ a million people from the provinces of Friesland. English is also a widely spoken language across the country as it is spoken by the vast majority.
There are many people who refer to the Netherlands as “Holland”, but this is just one of 12 provinces that make up the country. The Netherlands is the most densely populated countries in Europe.
One of the reasons why there are so many cyclists in the country is because it’s so flat which makes it easy to get around. Amsterdam, the capital, is the most well-known and visited place containing over 100 kilometres of canals to travel on.
The Hague is a popular tourist attraction, a city in the north-western coast also home to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Dutch parliament. It is also the home to the nation’s government. The Binnenhof is also found here which is an eye-catching series of buildings. It is also one of the oldest Parliament buildings in the world that is still operational so it is definitely worth a visit.
The Anne Frank House Museum is in Amsterdam where a majority of a famous Jewish refugee family hid during World War II. It is in this home where Ann Frank wrote her famous diary that is translated in over 50 languages.
Dining in the Netherlands
Haring is the most popular and tasty fish commonly eaten in the Netherlands. It is a salted fish which is eaten from tail to head.
If you’re not into fish, try a Kroket instead. This is a deep fried bread roll filled with meat ragout.
Of course don’t leave the Netherlands without visiting one of the cheese capitals of the world; Edam, Gouda or Alkmaar which also has a cheese museum. For those of you who are vegetarian or vegan there are plenty of alternatives available as well. In fact, the Netherlands ranks in the top 15 in the world for the national popularity of veganism. We wouldn't be surprised if a national dish to come will be a vegan one!
Have you seen the beautiful scenes of the Netherlands? Let us know!
