# Netherlands at the UEFA European Championship

The Netherlands national football team has appeared in eleven UEFA European Championship tournaments. The team did not enter the first tournament during Euro 1960 and failed to qualify for Euro 1964, Euro 1968 and Euro 1972.
The Netherlands first appearance in the UEFA European Championship was at Euro 1976. During qualification they won their group ahead of Poland and Italy, and then defeated Belgium. During the four-team final tournament they lost the semi-finals to Czechoslovakia, and then defeated Yugoslavia in the third-place playoff match. They qualified for Euro 1980 over Poland and East Germany. Despite an opening match win against Greece, a loss to West Germany and a draw with Czechoslovakia kept them from advancing past the group stage. They failed to reach Euro 1984 despite finishing level on points with Spain during qualification.
The Netherlands qualified for Euro 1988 with wins over Greece, Hungary and Poland. During the final tournament group stage they lost to the Soviet Union, and then went on to defeat England and Ireland. In the semi-finals they defeated hosts Germany 2-1, and then beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final to become 1988 champions. In the build-up for Euro 1992, the Netherlands qualified ahead of Portugal and Greece. In the group stage, they defeated Scotland and Germany, and drew with the CIS. They then lost to eventual champions Denmark in the semi-finals after 2-2, which was decided by a penalty shootout. The Netherlands finished behind the Czech Republic, and qualified for Euro 1996 via a play-off against Ireland. In the tournament, they drew with Scotland, beat Switzerland and then lost 4-1 to England; they went on to loss in a penalty shootout in the quarter finals to France after 0-0.
As co-hosts with Belgium, the Netherlands automatically qualified for Euro 2000. They won all of their group stage matches, against the Czech Republic, Denmark and France. In the quarter finals they defeated Yugoslavia 6-1 only to lose in the semi finals after 0-0 in a penalty shootout against Italy. The Netherlands finished behind the Czech Republic, and qualified for Euro 2004 via a play-off against Scotland. The opened their tournament match with a draw against Germany, then a loss to the Czech Republic amd a win over Latvia. In the quarter finals they won in a penalty shootout to Sweden before losing the semi finals to hosts Portugal 2-1. They finished second after Romania to qualify for Euro 2008; the Netherlands opened with three wins: 3-0 against Italy, 4-1 over France and 2-0 against Romania. In the quarter finals they lost 3-1 (aet) to Russia. Qualifying ahead of Sweden for Euro 2012, the Netherlands lost all group stage matches: to Denmark, Germany and Portugal. The Netherlands failed to reach Euro 2016 after loses to the Czech Republic, Turkey and Iceland.
Euro 2020 saw the Netherlands qualify behind Germany; they won all group stage matches against Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia. In the round of 16, they lost 2-0 to the Czech Republic. The Netherlands finished behind France to qualify for Euro 2024; they opened with a win over Poland, followed by a draw against France and a loss to Austria. In the round of 16 they defeated Romania 3-0 followed by a 2-1 quarter final win against Turkey. In the semi finals they lost to England 2-1.

## Overall record

| UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | UEFA European Championship record | Qualifying record | Qualifying record | Qualifying record | Qualifying record | Qualifying record | Qualifying record |
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1960 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1964 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| 1968 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 11 |
| 1972 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 6 |
| 1976 | Third place | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 9 |
| 1980 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 |
| 1984 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 6 |
| 1988 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 1992 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 2 |
| 1996 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 5 |
| 2000 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts |
| 2004 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 7 |
| 2008 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | Squad | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 5 |
| 2012 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Squad | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 8 |
| 2016 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 14 |
| 2020 | Round of 16 | 9th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 7 |
| 2024 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | Squad | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 |
| 2028 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2032 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | 1 Title | 11/17 | 45 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 75 | 48 | — | 125 | 83 | 16 | 26 | 291 | 99 |

## List of matches

| Year | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue | Netherlands scorers |
| 1976 | Semi-finals | Czechoslovakia | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | L | Zagreb | Ondruš (o.g.) |
| 1976 | Third place play-off | Yugoslavia | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | W | Zagreb | Geels (2), Van de Kerkhof |
| 1980 | Group stage | Greece | 1–0 | W | Naples | Kist |
| 1980 | Group stage | West Germany | 2–3 | L | Naples | Rep, Van de Kerkhof |
| 1980 | Group stage | Czechoslovakia | 1–1 | D | Milan | Kist |
| 1988 | Group stage | Soviet Union | 0–1 | L | Cologne | — |
| 1988 | Group stage | England | 3–1 | W | Düsseldorf | Van Basten (3) |
| 1988 | Group stage | Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | W | Gelsenkirchen | Kieft |
| 1988 | Semi-finals | West Germany | 2–1 | W | Hamburg | Koeman, Van Basten |
| 1988 | Final | Soviet Union | 2–0 | W | Munich | Gullit, Van Basten |
| 1992 | Group stage | Scotland | 1–0 | W | Gothenburg | Bergkamp |
| 1992 | Group stage | CIS | 0–0 | D | Gothenburg | — |
| 1992 | Group stage | Germany | 3–1 | W | Gothenburg | Rijkaard, Witschge, Bergkamp |
| 1992 | Semi-finals | Denmark | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | D | Gothenburg | Bergkamp, Rijkaard |
| 1996 | Group stage | Scotland | 0–0 | D | Birmingham | — |
| 1996 | Group stage | Switzerland | 2–0 | W | Birmingham | Cruyff, Bergkamp |
| 1996 | Group stage | England | 1–4 | L | London | Kluivert |
| 1996 | Quarter-finals | France | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | D | Liverpool | — |
| 2000 | Group stage | Czech Republic | 1–0 | W | Amsterdam | F. de Boer |
| 2000 | Group stage | Denmark | 3–0 | W | Rotterdam | Kluivert, R. de Boer, Zenden |
| 2000 | Group stage | France | 3–2 | W | Amsterdam | Kluivert, F. de Boer, Zenden |
| 2000 | Quarter-finals | FR Yugoslavia | 6–1 | W | Rotterdam | Kluivert (3), Govedarica (o.g.), Overmars (2) |
| 2000 | Semi-finals | Italy | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p) | D | Amsterdam | — |
| 2004 | Group stage | Germany | 1–1 | D | Porto | Van Nistelrooy |
| 2004 | Group stage | Czech Republic | 2–3 | L | Aveiro | Bouma, Van Nistelrooy |
| 2004 | Group stage | Latvia | 3–0 | W | Braga | Van Nistelrooy (2), Makaay |
| 2004 | Quarter-finals | Sweden | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | D | Faro | — |
| 2004 | Semi-finals | Portugal | 1–2 | L | Lisbon | Andrade (o.g.) |
| 2008 | Group stage | Italy | 3–0 | W | Bern | Van Nistelrooy, Sneijder, Van Bronckhorst |
| 2008 | Group stage | France | 4–1 | W | Bern | Kuyt, Van Persie, Robben, Sneijder |
| 2008 | Group stage | Romania | 2–0 | W | Bern | Huntelaar, Van Persie |
| 2008 | Quarter-finals | Russia | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | L | Basel | Van Nistelrooy |
| 2012 | Group stage | Denmark | 0–1 | L | Kharkiv | — |
| 2012 | Group stage | Germany | 1–2 | L | Kharkiv | Van Persie |
| 2012 | Group stage | Portugal | 1–2 | L | Kharkiv | Van der Vaart |
| 2020 | Group stage | Ukraine | 3–2 | W | Amsterdam | Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Dumfries |
| 2020 | Group stage | Austria | 2–0 | W | Amsterdam | Depay, Dumfries |
| 2020 | Group stage | North Macedonia | 3–0 | W | Amsterdam | Depay, Wijnaldum (2) |
| 2020 | Round of 16 | Czech Republic | 0–2 | L | Budapest | — |
| 2024 | Group stage | Poland | 2–1 | W | Hamburg | Gakpo, Weghorst |
| 2024 | Group stage | France | 0–0 | D | Leipzig | — |
| 2024 | Group stage | Austria | 2–3 | L | Berlin | Gakpo, Depay |
| 2024 | Round of 16 | Romania | 3–0 | W | Munich | Gakpo, Malen (2) |
| 2024 | Quarter-finals | Turkey | 2–1 | W | Berlin | De Vrij, Müldür (o.g.) |
| 2024 | Semi-finals | England | 1–2 | L | Dortmund | Simons |

## Head-to-head record

| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Austria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| CIS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Denmark | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| France | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| FR Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Germany | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Greece | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Latvia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| North Macedonia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Romania | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Portugal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Russia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Scotland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Soviet Union | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Turkey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 45 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 75 | 48 |

## Euro 1980
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | West Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | Advance to final |
| 2 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | Advance to third place play-off |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Greece | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |

## Euro 1988
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | England | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Final
## Euro 1992
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | CIS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 2 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Semi-finals
## Euro 1996
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | England (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Switzerland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
* 1 2 Tied on head-to-head result (Netherlands 0–0 Scotland) and overall goal difference (−1). Overall goals for was used as the tiebreaker.

### Knockout stage
#### Quarter-finals
## Euro 2000
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Denmark | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Semi-finals
## Euro 2004
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Czech Republic | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Latvia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Semi-finals
## Euro 2008
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Romania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 | |
| 4 | France | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Quarter-finals
## Euro 2012
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Denmark | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Netherlands | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | |

## Euro 2020
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Austria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Ukraine | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | North Macedonia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | |

### Knockout stage
#### Round of 16
## Euro 2024
### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Austria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | France | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | Poland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 | |

#### Ranking of third-placed teams

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | D | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | F | Georgia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | E | Slovakia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | C | Slovenia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 5 | A | Hungary | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | |
| 6 | B | Croatia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 2 | |
* 1 2 Disciplinary points: Netherlands −2, Georgia −6.

### Knockout stage
#### Semi-finals
## Most appearances

| Rank | Player | Matches | Years |
| 1 | Edwin van der Sar | 16 | 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 |
| 2 | Dennis Bergkamp | 13 | 1992, 1996, 2000 |
| 2 | Phillip Cocu | 13 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
| 4 | Edgar Davids | 12 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
| 5 | Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 11 | 2000, 2004, 2008 |
| 6 | Michael Reiziger | 10 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
| 6 | Clarence Seedorf | 10 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
| 6 | Memphis Depay | 10 | 2020, 2024 |
| 6 | Stefan de Vrij | 10 | 2020, 2024 |
| 6 | Wout Weghorst | 10 | 2020, 2024 |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Goals | Years (goals) |
| 1 | Patrick Kluivert | 6 | 1996 (1), 2000 (5), 2004 |
| 1 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | 6 | 2004 (4), 2008 (2) |
| 3 | Marco van Basten | 5 | 1988 |
| 4 | Dennis Bergkamp | 4 | 1992 (3), 1996 (1) |
| 5 | Robin van Persie | 3 | 2008 (2), 2012 (1) |
| 5 | Georginio Wijnaldum | 3 | 2020 |
| 5 | Memphis Depay | 3 | 2020 (2), 2024 (1) |
| 5 | Cody Gakpo | 3 | 2024 |