This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
Published on November 18, 2019, the Netherlands secured their spot in the 2020 European Championship after a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland on Saturday.
The Dutch team, who missed the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup, sealed their qualification with a game to spare.
With the finals set to take place at 12 venues across Europe, the Netherlands could potentially play their group stage matches at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, with the draw scheduled for November 30.
Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands' defender, expressed his delight at the team's return to the European Championship, stating, “I’m very delighted that we are back at the Euros, back where we belong I think. It means a lot to the people. I’ve heard we’re going to probably play all our group games in Amsterdam, it will be massive.”
Van Dijk also acknowledged the team's struggles in the past, saying, “It was a big thing for us to miss those tournaments, it was tough. We have missed two, maybe we have to get used to it again.”
The team, led by Ronald Koeman, is currently second in Group C, two points behind leaders Germany, who are the only side to beat them in the qualifiers.
Van Dijk will miss the team's final qualifier against Estonia on Tuesday due to personal reasons, but he remains optimistic about the team's prospects, saying, “We know we can improve, can do a lot better in certain aspects of the game. But you know, we qualified after missing two tournaments, so we have to enjoy it.”
