5) Netherlands
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What can one say about Netherlands? The team has always been the bridesmaid at major tournaments and have never won the World Cup in spite of reaching the final thrice. They have finished as runners-up in 1974, 1978 and most recently in 2010.
The team seemed to have got its act together in 2014 at the World Cup in Brazil – especially when they beat defending champions Spain 5-1 in the opening group stage game. However, Louis van Gaal’s “tactical genius” only got them to the semi-finals before falling to Argentina. But they did finish third.
Since then, Netherlands have been erased off the football map when it comes to major tournaments. The Oranje failed to qualify for Euro 2016 – finishing fourth in their qualifying group behind the Czech Republic, Iceland and Turkey.
Now, with another international tournament on the horizon – the biggest of the lot – they are again in danger of missing out. France and Sweden currently hold the top two spots and the Dutch have a long way to go. With the turmoil surrounding the side following the sacking of manager Danny Blind after a loss to Bulgaria, their future is up in the air.
The only solace? The last time Netherlands failed to qualify for the Euros (1984) and World Cup (1986), they won the next edition of Euro in 1988.
| Pos | Country | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | Sweden | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Belarus | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
