Now that the Netherlands have been eliminated from the World Cup, see the other favourites’ routes to the final. And what their own route could have been…
Unfortunately, Germany have crashed out at the RO32 stage in shock circumstances, after Paraguay held them to a draw in regular and extra time, before ultimately winning on penalties. However, you might be interested in other favourites’ routes to the World Cup final:
And as the tournament progresses, why not follow all the other games as they happen with the latest World Cup betting odds.
Was would’ve been the Netherlands’ route to the World Cup final
Round | Potential opponent |
Round of 32 | Morocco |
Round of 16 | Canada |
Quarter final | France |
Semi final | Spain |
Final | England |
Round of 32
June 30th, 2am vs Morocco
After the Netherlands finished first in the Group F table, their round of 32 opponent has been confirmed as Morocco, who placed runner-up of Group C. The African outfit reached the semi-finals in 2022 (only lost narrowly to France), and have shown real quality as of late, even reaching the final of the 2026 AFCON tournament.
It could’ve been a different story for Oranje, however, with Morocco only falling short of topping their group due to goal difference – had they placed first, the Netherlands would’ve had a tough knockout clash with Brazil!
Round of 16
July 4th vs Canada
If the Netherlands manage to overcome Morocco in the round of 32, then the round of 16 looks like it will put them up against co-hosts Canada.
Canada are placed up against South Korea in the first knockout round and are expected to win when looking at the latest odds. However, the Asian side could still prove to be a tough challenge, so there’s a good chance that the Dutch face them instead.
Quarter-final
July 9th vs France
This is now the business-end of the tournament with the Netherlands seeming like they’ll be facing France in the quarter-finals. The round of 16 looks like it’ll have Les Bleus playing Germany, which, despite being a tough match, they’re favourites to win.
The Netherlands and France also faced each other in the Euro 2024 group stage, with the score finishing 0-0, meaning we could have a very close matchup on our hands if this game occurs!
Semi-final
July 14th vs Spain
If Oranje manage to get past France in the previous round, then the Euro 2024 champions, Spain, are their likely semi-final opponents. After losing the 2010 World Cup final to La Roja, the Netherlands will certainly want to get their own back and defeat Spain to reach the final.
Should Spain be unable to get to the semi-finals, then the Netherlands might play Belgium instead. The two nations previously faced off in the 1998 World Cup in what turned out to be a 0-0 draw, which means it’s all to play for should they face each other again.
World Cup final
July 19th vs Argentina
Now for the greatest part of the entire tournament – the World Cup final. The stage is set… the Netherlands have recreated their run of 2010 and reached the final for the fourth time in their history… but who’s likely to be the final obstacle in their way?
In order for the Netherlands to win the World Cup title for the first time in their history, they’re most likely going to have to beat Argentina and Lionel Messi. This summer’s World Cup presents both teams with the chance to win much sought-after silverware – for different motivations. Netherlands will be desperate to lose the title of best team to never win a World Cup, while Argentina will be confident of becoming just the third team to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
Should Argentina not make it to the final, the Netherlands could play England, who’ll be equally desperate to win the title; their first since 1966.
