First Touch ’26 - Netherlands

First Touch | World Soccer · Dec 20, 2025 · 16m

The Dutch have perfected and even revolutionized the game—yet somehow, the Netherlands are still the greatest nation never to win a World Cup. Will 2026 finally be their time? In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass breaks down the story of the Oranje, from Pim Mulier’s first club in the 1870s through the birth of Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV, to the rise of Total Football under Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. We relive the heartbreak of the 1974 and 1978 finals, the near-miss in 2010, the 5–1 demolition of Spain and Tim Krul shootout heroics in 2014, and the fiery “Battle of Lusail” against…