Kari AndersonContributing writerMon, April 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC·1 min readThe countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.

In the history of the World Cup, eight nations have lifted the trophy. The Netherlands, three-time finalists, has never been one of them.

Of teams that have made the World Cup final, the Dutch are the only to finish all of those appearances as runners-up. The Oranje have made, and lost, three World Cup finals: twice back-to-back, in 1974 and 1978, and again in 2010.

For what it’s worth, the Netherlands hasn’t picked up the most second-place finishes all time. That honor goes to Germany, which lost four, followed by Argentina, which has also lost three. But both Germany and Argentina have made up for those losses with titles, with the Germans winning the trophy four times in four different decades (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and Argentina lifting it three times (1978, 1986, 2022).

To add insult to injury, Germany and Argentina are two of the teams that have denied the Netherlands that long-awaited trophy. Germany (then West Germany and hosting that year) beat the Dutch in 1974 to complete a home team title run. Four years later, it was Argentina defeating the Netherlands for its first World Cup trophy.

The Netherlands’ loss in 2010 was to Spain, which became tournament champions for the first and only time.

The Netherlands is not quite at the same level of dominance as it used to be: The Oranje missed the 2018 World Cup after failing to qualify, and only made it to the quarterfinals last round. But the Dutch will certainly put up some fight this summer for a trophy that has always stayed just out of their reach.