Two powerhouses have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Both the Dutch and German national teams solidified their spot in the tournament after a relatively smooth set of qualifying matches that raised a few questions about the teams’ form heading into 2026.
Netherlands
Arguably the most successful nation without a World Cup trophy to its name, the Netherlands qualified for the tournament on Nov. 17 after defeating Lithuania 4-0 on home turf. Just three days prior, the team had the opportunity to qualify with a win against Poland in their seventh group stage game. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after the Netherlands had to claw their way back in the second half, capped off by a Memphis Depay goal just minutes after the second half began. Fans weren’t happy with the team’s effort, placing most of the blame on the team’s manager, Ronald Koeman.
The former Dutch centre-back has received harsh criticism from supporters since replacing beloved manager Louis van Gaal. Koeman’s reputation as a manager at the national and club levels has always been under a microscope due to his questionable decision-making. Nevertheless, the team had a chance to bounce back against a Lithuanian team that hadn’t won a group stage game to that point.
16 minutes in, Tijjani Reijnders found himself open off a broken play, potting the first goal of the game with a beautiful shot off a through ball from Frenkie de Jong. Although the Netherlands had control of most of the first half, Reijnders’ goal would be the only one on the board through the first 45 minutes.
Into the second half, nothing of note would occur until just under 10 minutes in, when Matthijs de Ligt would head the ball into play off a long corner that seemingly caught a piece of a defender’s hand. After an initial reaction from Captain Virgil Van Dijk, the play would be reviewed and called a penalty, much to the pleasure of the crowd in the Johan Cruyff Arena. Cody Gakpo was the man sent to the spot, and with little hesitation, the Dutch winger put his team up 2-0 with a textbook kick into the bottom right corner.
Just two minutes later, Cakpo found himself pacing down the left wing before making a quick cut to his right, laying it off to Xavi Simons in space, who would make not one, but two shot fakes before blasting one in the top left corner. Simons and Gakpo would embrace, both with big smiles on their faces, unaware that their team wasn’t done just yet.
Two minutes after that, Donyell Malen would go from his own end, scoring a magical goal, beating a defender through the legs, then blasting a rocket into the top of the net. The Netherlands scored three goals in five minutes, putting a stamp on their tournament-clinching game.
Post-match, the team celebrated after a congratulatory speech from Koeman and, more importantly, a moment for their captain, Van Dijk. The Dutch centre back passed national team legend Frank de Boer for most appearances as captain for the team, with 72.
With the World Cup just around the corner, this Netherlands squad looks to be one of the most dangerous in the entire tournament. Koeman’s options are practically endless, in the midfield with talent down the board. De Jong has been a pleasant surprise since his return from a bad ankle injury. Ryan Gravenberch has cemented himself as one of the world’s best midfielders, improving immensely since joining Liverpool. Finally, Reijnders continues his run as one of the world’s most exciting players, having a standout international run the past year.
As for their backline, Van Dijk continues to prove Father Time wrong. The Liverpool defender has silenced all the critics who claimed he was washed up. His last two years have been nothing short of amazing, playing as though he’s in his second prime. Mickey van de Ven and Nathan Ake provide a decent rotation at the left back position. Ake, who’s had a resurgence of his own, played a huge role in the team’s last World Cup. As for Van de Ven, he’s one of the most electric players that this Dutch side has seen in a long time. Still only 24, the speedy Spurs defender can play up and down the pitch, surprising opposing teams at any given moment.
There’s some backup for Koeman’s wing-back position. Both Denzel Dumfries and Jeremy Frimpong have played exceptionally well for their national team thus far in their careers. This leaves the problem of having too many good players in one position. Although Frimpong can be played higher on the pitch, Koeman decides never to play the two together for positioning reasons.
On the front end, there are still questions regarding their striker position. Depay usually fills that role, however, the all-time leading goal scorer has never been labelled a pure striker, despite his historic goal-scoring prowess. Players like Gakpo, Simons and Malen all pose scoring threats, but lack the true playstyle of a striker.
The Netherlands is searching for its first World Cup trophy in team history. With a smooth qualification run and solid play recently, the only thing standing in their way is themselves. This team has the talent to go all the way; it’s only a matter of whether they can come together in the big moments.
Germany
The Germans qualified for the tournament on the same day as the Netherlands, beating Slovakia 6-0 in Leipzig in a contest that was over from the first whistle. Germany’s World Cup history is rich, winning four times — most recently in 2014 — and never failing to qualify for the tournament.
Since this year, winning games has been going as usual. Aside from occasional flukes, Julian Nagelsmann’s team has been going about its business. Even after the loss in the quarter finals of the 2024 Euro Cup to the eventual champions, Spain, the overall vibe around German football was positive. There was good football being played, and the team chemistry was thriving from top to bottom.
It was only up, as players like Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich all had outstanding tournaments. Young players were approaching their peaks, and veterans were still playing great football. German fans were eager to see how their team would keep improving heading towards the World Cup. That’s when things began to go downhill.
Almost immediately following their Euro Cup campaign, signs of regression started to rear their ugly head. During the stretch between the Euros and their World Cup qualifying games, German football has been a mess all around. Fans have become increasingly frustrated with Nagelsmann, blaming him for Germany’s faults throughout a stretch of games that’s shown more negatives than positives.
The team did make it to the final of the Nations League this year but showed their home crowd nothing to be excited about. They were able to beat Italy in a less-than-impressive effort, then went on to lose to Portugal and France in two games that threw any potential statement down the drain.
Much like the Netherlands, Germany has been lacking a pure striker for the better part of a decade now. Nick Woltemade has come out of nowhere recently, making a great case as Germany’s saving grace at the position. The Newcastle forward scored again in Germany’s most recent contest against Slovakia, turning a few heads around the team. If Woltemade can continue his recent string of scoring, Germany could have itself a new starting striker come the World Cup. In the meantime, the 23-year-old is still unproven, and trusting a youngster who hasn’t made an impact in a major tournament is risky to say the least.
Another young player who’s been in the spotlight, but for the wrong reasons, is Wirtz. So far in his debut season with the Reds, he’s been underwhelming to say the least. The Liverpool man hasn’t clicked with his new club, facing scrutiny from fans of both the national team and his club. Wirtz’s best years are still ahead of him, but the promise he’s shown so far in his career has made fans anxious now in his current form. Germany’s success is reliant on Wirtz’s performance. He brings too much to the table to play this poorly. There’s no question he can turn it around in the right situation, but as of late, it hasn’t looked good for the former Leverkusen midfielder.
You can’t mention Germany’s faults without bringing up its recent string of bad luck. Musiala went down with a scary ankle injury in the Club World Cup, being ruled out for an extended period. Without their star playmaker, the German offence doesn’t flow the same and lacks the consistency it has with him on the pitch. Not to mention, the goaltender debacle for Germany has been a mess. Marc-Andre ter Stegen played just two games this year before a lower-body and back injury sidelined him.
With all that being said, Germany is still one of the scariest teams in the world. There wouldn’t be conversation around poor play, lack of dominance and player worries if there weren’t sky-high expectations. This nation has proven over the years why it’s so respected in the world of football. If they can pull things together by March, don’t be surprised if they make a run in the upcoming World Cup.