# Netherlands men's national handball team

The Netherlands national handball team is the national handball team of Netherlands and is controlled by the Netherlands Handball Association.
Unlike the very successful women's team, The Netherlands men's team qualified just twice for the World Championships (1961, 2025). For the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship The Netherlands received a wildcard and reached the Main Round finishing 14th overall. The team improved this result in the 2025 event to a 12th place in the final ranking.
The current squad lead by starplayers Luc Steins and Kay Smits is steadily closing the gap with the leading European teams by qualifying three consecutive times for the European Championships (2020, 2022 and 2024). In only their second ever appearance at EHF EURO 2022 the Dutch men's team won three matches and drew one. The Dutch did qualify for the Main Round as well and finished as 10th overall.

## Competitive record
### World Championship

World Championship record :
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
| 1938 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1954 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1958 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1961 | Preliminary round | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 54 |
| 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 |
| 1967 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1970 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1974 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1978 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1982 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1986 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1990 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1993 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1995 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1997 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1999 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2001 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2003 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2005 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2007 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2009 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2011 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2013 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2015 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2017 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| / 2019 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2021 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| / 2023 | Main round | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 177 | 165 |
| // 2025 | Main round | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 212 | 200 |
| 2027 | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events |
| / 2029 | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events |
| // 2031 | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events |
| Total | 3/32 | – | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 407 | 419 |

### European Championship

European Championship record :
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1994 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1996 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1998 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2000 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2002 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2004 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2006 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2008 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2010 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2012 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2014 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 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 |
| 2018 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| // 2020 | Preliminary round | 17th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 94 |
| / 2022 | Main round | 10th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 200 | 215 |
| 2024 | Main round | 12th | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 224 | 222 |
| // 2026 | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events |
| // 2028 | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events | Future events |
| Total | 3/18 | – | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 504 | 531 |

## Team
### Current squad

Squad for the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship.
Head coach: Staffan Olsson
* No.
* Pos.
* Name
* Date of birth (age)
* Height
* App.
* Goals
* Club
* 1
* GK
* Bart Ravensbergen
* (1993-03-14) 14 March 1993 (age 31)
* 1.90 m
* 105
* 17
* Frisch Auf Göppingen
* 2
* GK
* Rob Goudriaan
* (2001-02-07) 7 February 2001 (age 23)
* 1.89 m
* 2
* 0
* RKHV Volendam
* 3
* CB
* Ivar Stavast
* (1998-01-13) 13 January 1998 (age 27)
* 1.91 m
* 49
* 61
* HC Elbflorenz
* 5
* LW
* Rutger ten Velde
* (1997-03-05) 5 March 1997 (age 27)
* 1.78 m
* 71
* 219
* Frisch Auf Göppingen
* 7
* LB
* Robin Schoenaker
* (1995-08-23) 23 August 1995 (age 29)
* 1.96 m
* 59
* 8
* Sporting Pelt
* 11
* GK
* Jorick Pol
* (2004-02-26) 26 February 2004 (age 20)
* 1.98 m
* 0
* 0
* HV Hurry-Up
* 12
* GK
* Matthias Dorgelo
* (2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 (age 22)
* 2.00 m
* 4
* 1
* SønderjyskE Håndbold
* 15
* P
* Lars Kooij
* (2000-08-11) 11 August 2000 (age 24)
* 2.00 m
* 27
* 39
* RK Vardar
* 17
* LW
* Kaj Geenen
* (2003-05-06) 6 May 2003 (age 21)
* 1.86 m
* 20
* 16
* VfL Lübeck-Schwartau
* 20
* RB
* Niels Versteijnen
* (2000-02-03) 3 February 2000 (age 24)
* 2.00 m
* 49
* 107
* TBV Lemgo
* 21
* P
* Martijn Kleijkers
* (2001-02-22) 22 February 2001 (age 23)
* 1.92 m
* 9
* 6
* Pau Billère Handball
* 22
* CB
* Luc Steins
* (1995-03-22) 22 March 1995 (age 29)
* 1.72 m
* 111
* 319
* Paris Saint-Germain
* 23
* LB
* Jorn Smits
* (1992-09-03) 3 September 1992 (age 32)
* 1.93 m
* 75
* 112
* GC Amicitia Zürich
* 27
* RW
* Alec Smit
* (1999-05-15) 15 May 1999 (age 25)
* 1.85 m
* 60
* 71
* Pfadi Winterthur
* 31
* RB
* Kay Smits
* (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 27)
* 1.85 m
* 82
* 383
* SG Flensburg-Handewitt
* 38
* RW
* Rob Schmeits
* (1994-06-11) 11 June 1994 (age 30)
* 1.85 m
* 4
* 3
* Sporting Pelt
* 40
* RW
* Robin Nagtegall
* (1999-01-21) 21 January 1999 (age 26)
* 1.85 m
* 2
* 0
* RKHV Volendam
* 41
* LW
* Jeromy van der Ban
* (2002-01-14) 14 January 2002 (age 23)
* 1.91 m
* 2
* 2
* HV Aalsmeer
* 77
* CB
* Dani Baijens
* (1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 26)
* 1.82 m
* 84
* 229
* Paris Saint-Germain

### Extended team

* No.
* Pos.
* Name
* Date of birth (age)
* Height
* App.
* Goals
* Club
* 8
* P
* Evert Kooijman
* (1996-01-28) 28 January 1996 (age 29)
* 1.96 m
* 42
* 36
* KRAS/Volendam
* 12
* GK
* Matthias Dorgelo
* (2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 (age 22)
* 1.99 m
* 2
* 1
* GOG
* 31
* RB
* Kay Smits
* (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 27)
* 1.85 m
* 80
* 368
* SG Flensburg-Handewitt
* 34
* RB
* Tom Jansen
* (1998-06-08) 8 June 1998 (age 26)
* 1.99 m
* 29
* 49
* VfL Gummersbach
* 38
* RW
* Rob Schmeits
* (1994-06-11) 11 June 1994 (age 30)
* 1.85 m
* 6
* 6
* KEMBIT/LIONS