What is The Netherlands' World Cup squad?

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Louis van Gaal has named his 26-man squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup as The Netherlands feature in their first World Cup since 2014 after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition.

After finishing second in 2010 and third in 2014, The Netherlands will be hoping to emulate such success in Qatar, with Van Gaal selecting a strong squad with a mixture of experienced stars with exciting young prospects.

PSV Eindhoven's Xavi Simons has been rewarded for an excellent start to the season with a first ever call-up, while Club Brugge's Noa Lang has also made the cut ahead of Villarreal's Arnaut Danjuma and Borussia Dortmund's Donyell Malen.

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Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong also has the chance to make his international debut after being selected in the squad.

Despite amassing over 60 caps for the national side, long-time number one Jasper Cillesen has not made the squad, with Van Gaal selecting Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert and Remko Pasveer instead.

There is strong representation from across Europe's biggest leagues, with Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake and Tyrell Malacia making up the Premier League contingent, while stars from the Eredivisie have been rewarded for playing well in their homeland.

The aforementioned Simons, Cody Gakpo, Kenneth Taylor, Jurrien Timber, Daley Blind and Steven Bergwijn are among the Dutch league stars to be named in the 26-man squad.

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One major absentee is Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, who has paid for a lack of game time at club level despite featuring in the Euro 2020 side. Georginio Wijnaldum is another massive omission, with Van Gaal selecting players based on form rather than international pedigree.

However, Sven Botman hasn't been called up despite an excellent start at Newcastle, while Danjuma hasn't been selected even though he's impressed at Villarreal.

Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt have both made the cut, along with Memphis Depay. Those three are expected to lead the Dutch charge in Qatar.

The Netherlands open their World Cup campaign on 21 November against Senegal. They are in Group A with hosts Qatar, Ecuador and Senegal.

The Netherlands' World Cup squad