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The Dutch made it to the quarter-finals in Qatar but with plenty of talent coming through, they could do even better in four years' time.

After failing to qualify in 2018, the Netherlands made a strong return to the World Cup stage under Louis van Gaal, reaching the quarter-finals before losing on penalties to Argentina in one of the tournament's most dramatic matches.

Van Gaal brought together a squad that paired some experienced heads with some vibrant young talents, and leaves the team in a good place as he steps aside to let Ronald Koeman take over ahead of the European Championship in 2024.

Koeman, of course, knows a lot of the current squad from his previous stint in charge and given he enjoyed decent success with the Oranje before leaving to join Barcelona, there is confidence that Dutch football is on its way back up after a disappointing second half of the 2010s.

But while the Euros are next on the agenda, it's hard not to look ahead to the next World Cup, which takes place in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

How many of the current Netherlands players will still be in and around the team, and who might have played for the last time on the game's grandest stage?

GOAL has tried to answer those questions and more by selecting the team we think the Netherlands will put out in 2026…

Getty ImagesGK: Justin Bijlow

Louis van Gaal sprung a surprise by picking the previously uncapped Andries Noppert to start between the sticks in Qatar, and he certainly did nothing to suggest that was the wrong call.

However, Noppert will be 32 when the next World Cup kicks-off, and although age shouldn't represent a barrier to the continuation of his international career, we are instead opting for Bijlow, who was also in the 2022 squad and is four years Noppert's junior.

Feyenoord goalkeeper Bijlow already has six caps to his name and we expect him to add plenty more to that tally over the next three-and-a-half years.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesCB: Jurrien Timber

Surprisingly left out of the Netherlands' opener in Qatar, Timber quickly re-established himself in the starting line-up and promises to be a fixture of the team for years to come.

The Ajax centre-back is only 21, and even if the Oranje switch to a back four under incoming coach Ronald Koeman, Timber should be confident of keeping his place.

Getty ImagesCB: Matthijs de Ligt

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: Virgil van Dijk will be 34 by the time the 2026 World Cup begins, meaning he could easily continue in his role as the leader of the Dutch defence if his body holds up.

However, we're going to lean towards the younger man and plump for De Ligt, who will still only be 26.

The Bayern Munich star has not fared well at major tournaments so far in his career after earning himself a red card as the Dutch crashed out of Euro 2020 in the last 16, before being dropped after a poor performance against Senegal in Qatar.

De Ligt is too talented, though, to fade into the background, and there is a realistic chance he replaces Van Dijk as national team captain at some stage in the near future.

Others who could push for selection before the next World Cup include Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven and Ajax's 16-year-old revelation Jorell Hato, who has already captained the Dutch giants' Under-19s side.

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Getty ImagesCB: Sven Botman

Botman is a little unlucky that he is emerging at a time when the Netherlands is rich in talented centre-backs, but it should not be long before he finally makes his international breakthrough.

A strong performer for Newcastle this season, the ex-Lille man is currently behind Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij in the pecking order but, at just 22, he definitely has time on his side.

Ake, meanwhile, will be 31 by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks-off, while De Vrij will be 34 and, more than likely, out of the picture.

Ian Bell could not quite make the same early statement as Gary Ballance managed in Abu Dhabi but a lower-order fightback lifted the MCC to a first-innings lead against Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2016
ScorecardKarl Carver celebrates dismissing Ian Bell•Getty ImagesIan Bell could not quite make the same early statement as Gary Ballance managed in Abu Dhabi but a lower-order fightback by Ben Foakes and Rikki Clarke lifted the MCC to a first-innings lead against Yorkshire.Bell was dropped from the England Test side after the series against Pakistan in the UAE – the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is the scene of his most recent international half-century – and like Ballance, who scored a century on the opening day, is eyeing a strong early-season push to state his credentials for a recall to what remains an flimsy England top order.However, having eased to 44 with seven fours and a six he fell to Karl Carver, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner, when he tried to clear the infield and was caught at mid-on having earlier deposited the spinner over the ropes.Bell was one of three middle-order wickets to fall for 11 runs in four overs as the MCC slipped to 114 for 5 following a third-wicket stand of 89 between Bell and Rory Burns. Tim Bresnan, who finished the day with 3 for 51, had Burns caught behind for 51 and after Bell departed he trapped Samit Patel lbw to add to his early scalp of Nick Browne.When Tom Westley edged Steven Patterson, Yorkshire were well-placed for a lead but an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 131 in 37 overs between Foakes, the Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman, and Warwickshire allrounder Clarke turned the day around for the MCC.Clarke bided his time – he was 1 off 34 balls at the tea interval – but during the final session the scoring rate increased and he brought up his fifty from 103 deliveries.Foakes was initially given out on 17 before the umpires, Neil Mallender and David Millns, conferred and the decision was reversed – his dismissal would have left the MCC 152 for 7 – and he brought up his half-century from 132 balls with boundary off Bresnan as both batsmen profited against the second new ball until bad light ended play.

On every day of this Test Australia have tightened their grip further and so it was again on day three, a day on which Alastair Cook fought hard for 96 and Ben Stokes lashed 87

The Report by Brydon Coverdale18-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Stokes troubled the Australians for much of the first session•Getty ImagesOn every day of this Test Australia have tightened their grip further and so it was again on day three, a day on which Alastair Cook fought hard for 96 and Ben Stokes lashed 87. They were innings that, viewed in isolation, would appear impressive enough, but seen against the backdrop of Steven Smith’s 215 and Chris Rogers’ 173 looked unequivocally inadequate. There are big scores, and then there are huge scores.And England will need a huge total to win this match. By the close of play, Rogers and David Warner had cruised to 108 for 0, with Rogers on 44 and Warner on 63, and Australia’s lead was already 362. Michael Clarke had declined to enforce the follow-on, not surprisingly given his history, and all that remained was to decide how long to give his bowlers and how many to set England.The one positive in the back of Cook’s mind, though, will be the knowledge that this pitch remains very good for batting and offers little sideways movement to bowlers either fast or slow. They should not view batting out a draw as an impossible task. It is worth noting that Cook himself survived for 351 minutes in the first innings. A little more support is what he will need.Cook frustrated Australia for much of the third day, first during a 145-run stand with Stokes and then as part of a 56-run association with Moeen Ali. He was patient and waited for the bad balls to score, and looked set for a 28th Test century. But with his 233rd delivery he drove at a Mitchell Marsh ball outside off stump and played on.Marsh has been responsible for more drag-ons than George R. R. Martin; he played on himself during Australia’s innings and then had both Cook and Stokes by that method on day three. Stokes had moved the score along briskly before lunch but on 87 he drove at a delivery that stayed a touch low and chopped on to give Marsh the first of his two wickets.Stokes had gone for his shots and struck 13 fours and one six during his 128-ball stay. He scored runs all around the wicket and brought up his half-century from just 67 deliveries with a four crunched through cover off Mitchell Johnson. Cook, meanwhile, was careful at the other end, anchoring the innings in the knowledge that eating up time was invaluable for England.His fifty came from his 142nd delivery with a flick through midwicket for three off Nathan Lyon and he struck 13 boundaries, including a classy drive through mid-off when he used his feet against Lyon and an on-drive off Mitchell Starc. Often he waited and played the ball late, finding the gaps square of the wicket on both sides.Cook was put down on 63 when he pulled Johnson to Steven Smith at square leg, and there were a few other nervy moments, but overall it was an excellent innings from England’s captain. He had support from Jos Buttler after Stokes departed, but Buttler managed only 13 before he edged behind when Lyon came around the wicket and drifted an arm ball on.Buttler walked without waiting for the umpire’s call; earlier he had stood his ground after edging Johnson behind. Peter Nevill took the ball low to his right and it seemed on first glance like a brilliant, athletic take, although an umpire review showed the ball had grazed the turf in the process and Buttler was reprieved to the chagrin of the Australians.Ali played his shots, as expected, and launched Lyon back over his head for six to go with five fours. But on 39 he was lbw to a lovely piece of bowling from Josh Hazlewood, who curled the new ball in and struck Ali dead in front. The batsman asked half-heartedly for a review but if it was any plumber it could have unclogged his drains.From there it was a quick finish. Mark Wood was bowled by Hazlewood for 4 and Stuart Broad was snapped up at slip off Johnson for 21 to end the innings on 312. England’s deficit was 254 but there was as much chance of Clarke enforcing the follow-on as there was of Kumar Dharmasena opening the bowling in the second innings. Clarke is a target-setting kind of guy.Australia’s second innings was fairly uneventful, although Adam Lyth was left to rue a missed chance at gully off James Anderson before Warner had scored. It was very catchable, and by the close of play Warner had brought up a 71-ball half-century and, perhaps most worryingly for England as the Investec Ashes wears on, found some decent form.Already the difference was such that England would need a record successful fourth-innings run chase at Lord’s – West Indies’ 344 for 1 in 1984 is the benchmark – and Australia seemed set to push their lead well into to the 400s. It will take some sort of effort from England to prevent Australia tightening their grip further on day four.

Australia’s female domestic players will receive a significant pay hike after Cricket Australia and state associations invested $600,000 in women’s cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2015Cricket Australia and the state associations have given Australia’s women domestic players a substantial pay hike through a $600,000 investment, ensuring the best state players could get up to $17,000. Additionally, the players who are contracted to CA can earn retainers in excess of $50,000. This investment will increase the Women’s Payment Fund by 36% from last year, up to $2.26 million.Players signed for the Women’s Big Bash League T20 competition will receive retainers between $3000 and $10,000. Also, players contracted to Women’s National Cricket League – a 50-over tournament – will receive the maximum $7000 retainer. The signing of foundation players will be the WBBL clubs’ next target as the window for the inaugural season is now open.James Sutherland, Cricket Australia CEO, said the investment will move Australia women’s cricket in the right direction. “We are still working towards the day when Australia’s female cricketers will be able to earn a full-time, professional living from cricket,” Sutherland said. “But the performances of our female stars justify this step and the day will come when future, full-time professional female cricketers will look back and thank those who went before them.”Australia won the Women’s World Cup in 2013 in India, as well as the Women’s World Twenty20 in 2014 in Bangladesh.

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed Marquinhos' injury, which will rule the defender out of next week's Champions League clash with Newcastle.

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Marquinhos injured with BrazilHas a "small" hamstring issueWill be out for close to 10 daysWHAT HAPPENED?

The centre-back had to be replaced by Nino at half-time after he complained of muscle discomfort during Brazil's recent 1-0 defeat to Argentina in an ill-tempered 2026 World Cup qualifier. Marquinhos had admitted after the match that he felt a "strain on his hamstring" which forced him to come off. The defender returned to Paris on Thursday and after undergoing further tests the extent of the injury was ascertained.

AdvertisementWHAT PSG SAID ABOUT MARQUINHOS

PSG put out a statement that read: "Victim of a small injury to his right hamstring, Marquinhos will remain in treatment for 10 days."

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PSG find themselves in a spot of bother as they face Monaco at Parc des Princes on Friday night before hosting Newcastle on Tuesday evening. They will also miss Warren Zaire-Emery with an ankle injury and the midfielder is not expected to be back until 2024. However, Presnel Kimpembe has been training with the group and is nearing recovery which should relieve manager Luis Enrique.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

PSG can hardly afford to drop their guard against Monaco as Adi Hutter's men are just three points behind the league leaders and have the potential to cause an upset in Paris. Whereas, the Magpies will be out to get a win to revive their European fortunes after two consecutive defeats. Eddie Howe knows that another loss could virtually put them out of contention for a spot in the knockouts and will be eager to repeat their heroics on foreign soil after they beat the Parisians 4-1 at St. James Park earlier in the season.

With questions on the make-up of Bangladesh’s bowling, Mushfiqur Rahim said that things could have been different had Shahadat Hossain not picked up an injury

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur09-May-2015The second Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan was wrapped up at 2:04 pm on the fourth afternoon. But thoughts remained on what happened 30 minutes before the start of the game on Wednesday.Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, had opted to bowl on a pitch that did more for fast bowlers in the first two hours of the first day, than it did in the last couple of years. Still, Bangladesh went in the Test with just two pace bowlers. Mushfiqur, however, insisted the team had three seamers.”It wasn’t just the two pace bowlers,” Mushfiqur said. “We took three pace bowlers if you consider Soumya (Sarkar). It was a unanimous decision of the team management. The outcome is showing it was a wrong decision. If it was a correct decision, there wouldn’t be much talk.”Everyone has a say. It is not my team or the coach’s team. This is the Bangladesh team. Everyone has an input. We decide what everything things is good for the team. The selectors, coaches, myself are all there,” he said.Sarkar had to bowl in place of the injured Shahadat Hossain after two balls into the game but he did not have the numbers to back himself as a third seamer in a Test. He had only been used for seven overs in two ODIs while he only bowled one over in Khulna where Rubel Hossain and Mohammad Shahid were the pace bowlers.  In first-class cricket, Sarkar has 19 wickets in 34 matches with a five-for taken in November 2012.Mushfiqur said that had Shahadat been fit, things could have been different. On the first day, Bangladesh took three wickets, two of which came in the first session.”Many of you have said that we should have batted first after winning the toss,” Mushfiqur said. “But it was the team management’s decision; the wicket had a lot of help for the bowlers in the first two hours. We could have taken three-four wickets if (Shahadat Hossain) Rajib didn’t get injured. If we could have bowled them out for a low score and taken a lead, this Test would have been different. But it didn’t happen. The blame is on us.””We decided the playing XI after seeing the wicket,” he said. “We pick a 12-man squad and then decide the XI on the morning of the first day. We decide early whether we want to bat or bowl first. We speak to the curator about what sort of wicket it will be. All of us, including the senior cricketers, read the wicket. It is not a singular decision ultimately.The other issue was in the spin department but Mushfiqur said that had Jubair Hossain not picked up an injury (heel), he would have been picked. Pakistan’s Yasir Shah, the legspinner, found considerable grip on the Mirpur pitch to pick up seven wickets in the game.”We needed to replace (Jubair Hossain) Likhon who got injured on the morning of the first day,” he said. “Otherwise he would have played the game. We thought Shuvagata was the better option. Yasir Shah bowled well so Jubair could have had some benefit from this wicket.”Interestingly, Mushfiqur said the decision to prepare a sporting wicket in Mirpur was a result of criticism of the Khulna wicket. There was discussion about the wicket in talk shows in Bangladeshi TV channels and in the Pakistan media.”There was a lot of talk about how the Khulna wicket was too flat where the bowlers weren’t able to take 20 wickets,” he said. “We wanted to create an opportunity to take 20 wickets while at the same time let the batsmen play freely too. This is what the team management decided.”Mushfiqur, however, said that rather than talking about the pitch, the focus should be on the Bangladesh players’ failure in this game to score runs and take wickets.

Manchester City are said to be leading Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race to sign Claudio Echeverri, who has been dubbed 'the next Lionel Messi'.

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Man City favourites to land EcheverriWill face competition from top European clubsWas part of Argentina's 2023 U17 World Cup squadWHAT HAPPENED?

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City are considered favourites to sign River Plate and Argentina sensation Echeverri. Despite interest from a host of other top European clubs like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, the Cityzens are poised to win the transfer race because they share a good relationship with River Plate after the transfer of Julian Alvarez in 2022, according to the .

Advertisement@ArgentinaTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has a keen eye for goal. He was part of the Albiceleste squad that reached the semi-finals of the U17 World Cup. Echeverri was the team's second highest scorer in the competition with five goals to his name, which included a hat-trick in the quarter-final against arch-rivals Brazil.

Getty Images/GoalDID YOU KNOW?

Like several other young Argentine footballers, Echeverri grew up idolising Messi and revealed in an interview before the U17 World Cup that he wants to follow in his idol's footsteps and join Barcelona in the future.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

Alvarez has proved to be a successful signing for City, becoming an integral part of Pep Guardiola's squad in his two seasons at the club. He has started in all 14 Premier League games the club have played so far in 2023-24, scoring four goals and providing six assists. The Argentina forward's success will surely encourage the club officials who are once again set to do business with River Plate for Echeverri's services.

Retiring an iconic player's shirt number is quite common practice Italy, but not so much Spain – and Goal has rounded up the most memorable instances

GettyBobby Moore | West Ham | #8The West Ham legend had his number at the London side retired, having captained the club for 10 years. Moore was also captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all-time.AdvertisementGetty ImagesAC Milan | Paolo Maldini | #3Technically, the shirt isn't retired. AC Milan made the decision to retire the number following the Italy legend's final game, but Maldini has allowed for his sons to inherit the number three should either of them play for the club.Getty ImagesEmiliano Sala | Nantes | #9The Argentine had his shirt number at Ligue 1 side Nantes retired after he died tragically in a plane crash in January 2019.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesDiego Maradona | Napoli | #10The Argentina icon is one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the pitch, and had a glittering seven-year career at Napoli where he won numerous titles and awards.

In his final year as the Cricket Australia chairman and an ICC powerbroker, Wally Edwards is intent on making further changes to ODI cricket as he watches the World Cup contested according to playing conditions he had a major hand in bringing about

Daniel Brettig17-Feb-2015In his final year as the Cricket Australia chairman and an ICC powerbroker, Wally Edwards is intent on making further changes to ODI cricket as he watches the World Cup contested according to playing conditions he had a major hand in bringing about.Edwards has believed for some time that the 50-over game should be re-branded as “World Cup cricket”, with a more vigorous points and rankings system linked to Cup qualification across the four-year cycle that culminates in the global tournament. Such a system would create the context many have yearned for in ODIs for decades.Edwards’ concept for World Cup cricket will be discussed in detail at an ICC subcommittee meeting in Melbourne next week. Edwards serves presently as chairman of the influential Executive Committee or ExCo, a key plank added to the ICC’s governance under the raft of “big three changes” pushed into place by India, Australia and England at the governing body’s annual conference in June 2014.”I’d like to see a lot more context for 50-over cricket,” Edwards told the . “I would call it World Cup Cricket. We’ve got a meeting on Monday in Melbourne with the ICC and one of the subjects is this. From my point of view this is one of the big strategy items, which is also focused on making the world of cricket better.”I would have a system where maybe after one year the top two teams play off in a best-of-three [series] or something, which would take a week,” said Edwards, a former opening batsman for Australia. “That counts for one year and if you could work the points out so that even teams like Ireland have a chance that would be quite interesting. There [would be] a decent prize at the end of it, a decent lump of money.”In the second year [after a World Cup in the current cycle] you’ve got the Champions Trophy, which I would like to call the World Cup qualifying tournament. In the third year you’d be finishing off the rankings for the World Cup and then in the last year you’ve got the World Cup. Something like that where each year there is a some pinnacle at the end that everyone is playing to achieve, and then the World Cup is the big one. It will make a lot more sense to people I think.”The proof of Edwards’ ability to influence the thinking of the game’s global governors has been demonstrated by the presence of two new balls at either end and tighter fielding restrictions at this World Cup, meaning fielding teams can only use four fielders outside the circle at most.Edwards pushed for these changes – which India, among others, have not appreciated – because he believed strongly that the game’s regulations should encourage attacking cricket, rather than the sort of percentage run-saving tactics that had become commonplace in ODIs.His philosophical views predated the arrival of Darren Lehmann as Australia’s coach, but the host team’s aggressive way of playing the game, striving for boundaries with the bat and wickets with the ball, has dovetailed neatly with Edwards’ view of how the game should be played.This was illustrated starkly during Australia’s opening World Cup fixture against England at the MCG, where Edwards was a delighted spectator in watching his team pile on 342 for 9 before rolling the visitors for 231.

India allrounder Irfan Pathan has hit back at criticism suggesting he has prioritised Twenty20 cricket over the first-class format, and said he was targeting playing a full Ranji Trophy season to boost his case for a comeback

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2014India allrounder Irfan Pathan has hit back at criticism suggesting he has prioritised Twenty20 cricket over the first-class format, and said he was targeting playing a full domestic season to boost his case for a comeback to the India side. The allrounder last played for India in the 2012 World T20 and has since struggled with injuries. In the last two domestic seasons, Irfan has played just five first-class games, including four in the Ranji Trophy, but has played more matches in the limited-overs tournaments.Irfan last bowled in the first-class format during the 2012-13 season, in which he sent down 44 overs during a Ranji Trophy match and an India A game against an England XI. During the 2013-14 season, he played three matches for Baroda only as a batsman. In T20s across the same period, Irfan bowled more than 100 overs and played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the IPL, for Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and 2014 respectively.”When anyone questions my credentials in the team, it really hurts but I don’t think too much about it. When people talk about not playing the last two domestic seasons, they don’t talk about me playing as a batsman for half of the Ranji season even when the physio had told me to wait,” Irfan told ESPNcricinfo after the launch of Cricket Academy of Pathans, a forum created with brother Yusuf, that aims at conducting short-term training modules for budding cricketers.”The physio had told me I couldn’t do any harm if I played as a batsman. I could have easily taken that away and sat out. But I thought it was my duty to serve Baroda cricket, and [for] half of the season I played as a batsman when I could have easily said ‘Let me get fully fit and I would wait and play only as a bowling allrounder’. Besides, I played one-day cricket and the Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well. People in Baroda cricket and those who know me know well that just before the Mushtaq Ali Trophy I had typhoid. And I hadn’t recovered fully.”I want to make sure that those kind of questions don’t arise. People don’t talk about it which is very unfortunate. You know what you are doing, you believe in God and you know you are honest. So eventually, I keep working hard towards playing for country again which I will do very soon. Let people talk what they want to talk.”Irfan was confident about an India comeback and said that the larger goal for him was to get fitter and better by playing more games.”Yes, the World Cup is in mind. But at the same time I need to be realistic, making sure to play as many Ranji Trophy matches and a full domestic season,” Irfan said.”Once I do that, as a bowler you know that the more matches he plays the better he gets, the fitter he gets. His bowling gets to the level which he wants. I also want to do the same by playing as many matches as many possible. And then there is an aim of playing for India. That may happen either before the World Cup or after it. But that’s gonna happen for sure.”Irfan had been picked in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy in England last year but did not get a game. He was a part of the squad for the tri-series in West Indies but was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. He then suffered a rib injury that sidelined him for the early part of last season’s Ranji Trophy.