Breaking Down the Netherlands' Chances in Euro 2024 Group D: Will They Qualify?

The Netherlands are always a football team that interests fans worldwide. They are a team that boast a lot of the quality on the pitch, but they have always been “nearly men”.

The Oranje can often be considered to be disappointing when it comes to playing in major tournaments, despite the talent that they have available to them. Throughout their history, they have just one major honour, having won the 1988 European Championships.

They’ve been three-time finalists at the FIFA World Cup (and a third-place finisher), while their sole European Championship success has been followed with a handful of semifinal appearances and a third-placed finish, with the last of those semifinal showings being in 2004.

Since then, they have been criticised as severely underperforming. In 2008, they were quarterfinalists, but in 2012 they failed to get out of the group. Worse so, they didn’t even qualify for the tournament in 2016 and only made the Round of 16 in the rescheduled 2020 edition of the competition.

All eyes are on 2024 Euros for the Dutch

After being incredibly disappointing in the European Championships, there will be many who will be focusing their attention on the upcoming tournament, especially those who follow The Netherlands closely.

They’ve not been handed the easiest of groups to navigate, after being placed in Group D. They have been placed alongside France, Poland, and Austria. However, there is still some confidence that they might be able to qualify and progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

While France are one of the main favorites to win the competition outright in the latest EK 2024 odds, The Netherlands are expected to be able to qualify from the group. Odds of 3.75 have been provided to win it, but a price of 1.65 to finish inside the Top 2 have been made available, suggesting that they have a better chance of coming second than they do first. In comparison, France are valued at 1.55 to win Group D.

Nonetheless, there will be many who may be feeling stressed about what might happen, given the poor form that the national team has shown when competing in the biggest international tournaments.

Will The Netherlands progress from Group D?

On paper, it would seem very likely that Ronald Koeman’s side would be able to qualify from their group and reach the knockout stages at a minimum. Then again, football isn’t played on paper and as fans of the sport know, it’s never a good thing to assume something before a ball is kicked.

When looking at the squad that the Oranje will have at the championships in Germany this summer, it’s impossible to think they won’t progress. They have a solid mixture of experience and youthfulness, with many being proven winners throughout their careers.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Wout Weghorst are all experienced and know what it means to play at the top. Younger talent like Xavi Simons and Brian Brobbey are exciting prospects in European football and will be wanting to showcase what they can do if given the chance to perform on the pitch.

Perhaps rightly not considered to be a main contender for the trophy this summer, Koeman’s squad has the potential to be considered dark horses, and should have enough to get the results required against Poland and Austria to qualify for the knockout phase.

Who would The Netherlands play in the Round of 16 if they qualify?

No matter where The Netherlands end up finishing in Group D, they will likely face a tough test in the Round of 16.

If they were to win the group, they would face the runner-up of Group F, which would involve a match against either Turkey, Portugal, Georgia, or the Czech Republic.

If they were to finish second in Group D (as expected), they would then face the runner-up of Group E. This would involve a contest that will take place against one of either Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, or Ukraine.

With this in mind, the Oranje may prefer to try and qualify second in their group as they may feel they have a better chance against an opponent in Group E.