The upcoming World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is shaping up to be a landmark moment for Dutch football — and not just because of the size of the tournament. A record 38 players currently based in the Netherlands have earned call-ups for the competition, made up of 33 from the Eredivisie and five from the second-tier Keuken Kampioen Divisie. That figure is exactly double the 19 players from Dutch clubs who represented their countries at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. With 48 nations competing, this edition is also the biggest in the tournament's history.
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Dutch National Team Bucks the Trend
Interestingly, the Netherlands itself is heading to the tournament with very few homegrown players in its ranks. Only two Eredivisie-based players made the Dutch squad — PSV midfielder Guus Til and Ajax striker Wout Weghorst. That is a dramatic shift from four years ago, when 12 players from clubs based in the Netherlands were included in the national team's World Cup roster.
It reflects how Dutch talent has increasingly moved to bigger leagues abroad, even as the Eredivisie continues to develop players for other nations.
Curaçao Leads the Way, Global Picture Takes Shape
The team drawing the most players from Dutch football is Curaçao, which is making its historic World Cup debut after qualifying for the very first time. A total of 12 players from Dutch leagues feature in their squad, the highest of any nation.
Japan comes in second, with five players based in the Netherlands. Alongside Haiti, whose representative is Ruben Providence of Almere City FC, Curaçao is one of only two sides to include players from the Dutch second division. Head coach Dick Advocaat's squad includes Kevin Felida of FC Den Bosch, Trevor Doornbusch of VVV-Venlo, and both Godfried Roemeratoe and Roshon van Eijma, who played for RKC Waalwijk.
On the global stage, the English Premier League leads all competitions with 163 of the 1,248 total World Cup players.
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