World Cup Hero
Predict the 2026 World Cup your way
France and Netherlands are in different groups at the 2026 World Cup. A direct meeting can happen from the knockout stage onwards. On the FIFA ranking, France are the favourite — a 5-place gap.
EK 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2024 — vaste tegenstanders op grote toernooien. Mbappé tegen Oranje is altijd theater.
| France 🇫🇷 | Metric | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| #2 | FIFA Ranking | #7 |
| Group I | Group | Group F |
| UEFA | Confederation | UEFA |
| Didier Deschamps | Head coach | Ronald Koeman |
| 16 | WC appearances | 12 |
| World champion (1998, 2018) | Best WC | Runner-up (1974, 1978, 2010) |
France do what France do: reach the last four or better every two years. Since 2018: runners-up, champions, runners-up, semi-finalist at the Euros — a tournament machine that rarely fails. Mbappé is in top form, Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d'Or, Tchouaméni and Camavinga form the best box-to-box duo in the world. Deschamps' last World Cup as head coach — he wants to leave with gold. The danger zone is Group I: Senegal have Mané and Koulibaly, Norway have Haaland and Ødegaard. No formality. But in the knockouts: a second World Cup title in eight years is realistic.
The Netherlands enter the World Cup as a stealth contender — not among the absolute favourites, but dangerous to anyone they meet. Van Dijk is the spine, the gear-shift comes from Xavi Simons and Gakpo, and Frenkie de Jong dictates the midfield when fit. Koeman's biggest headache: who scores the goals if Depay can't last the tournament? In Group F, Japan is a dangerous number two — that team beat both Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup. Historically, the Oranje overperform their FIFA ranking at World Cups; a semi-final is realistic, and a fourth lost final would be painfully fitting.
Set your 10 sliders and decide which teams win according to your model — including this dream matchup.
Start predicting →France and Netherlands are not in the same group. A meeting can only happen from the knockout stage (Round of 16 onwards).
On the FIFA world ranking, France (#2) are favoured over Netherlands (#7). The gap is 5 ranking places.
France: World champion (1998, 2018) (16 World Cup appearances). Netherlands: Runner-up (1974, 1978, 2010) (12 World Cup appearances).
France are coached by Didier Deschamps. Netherlands are coached by Ronald Koeman.
France play in Group I. Netherlands play in Group F.
Last updated: 2026-06-07