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Holland, also known as the Netherlands, have taken part in the World Cup qualifiers 14 times and have won through to the finals on seven of those occasions.
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Their heyday was without doubt the 1970s - in 1974 and 1978 the Dutch reached the FIFA World Cup final.
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In the Germany 1974 final Holland took an early lead but eventually succumbed 2-1 to the hosts Germany. Four years later in 1978 the host nation again stole glory from them. Argentina, gifted with an outstanding performance by striker Mario Kempes, won 3-1 in extra time.
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Since the 1970s, the closest they have come to playing in the Final was in 1998, losing a thrilling semi-final in a penalty shoot-out against Brazil.
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The penalty goal by Holland's Johan Neeskens in the 1974 Final was unique in World Cup, as up to that point no German player had touched the ball. The penalty was awarded by the English referee Jack Taylor in the first minute of the Final on 7 July 1974. Before the Dutch player Johan Cruyff was brought down inside the penalty area, the ball had been passed by the Dutch players 15 times without a German player touching the ball.
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The 1978 Final in Argentina had to be delayed as Dutch player Rene Van der Kerkhof had to go back to the dressing room for treatment. The Argentinean captain Daniel Passarella complained to the referee that the plaster on the Dutch player’s hand was dangerous to other players. Rene returned to the dressing room to have a soft cover placed over the plaster.
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During a qualifying match against Ireland on 13 Nov 1985, Danish midfielder Soren Lerby left in the 58th minute as he had to catch a private jet to fly back to Germany to play, as a substitute, for his club Bayern Munich in a cup match on the same day. On that busy day, his country won 4-1 in Dublin while his club drew 1-1 in Bochum.
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In 2002, Holland were surprisingly missing from the finals.
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Where is Holland? Check out this map.
