Under Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands have developed into one of the most consistent teams in Europe. Following their semi-final appearance in 2022 and their place in the 2024 European Championship final, the Oranje are finally aiming for their first World Cup title. The squad combines a mix of established stars and up-and-coming talents.

Manager Ronald Koeman has named three goalkeepers for the Oranje: Bart Verbruggen, Mark Flekken and Robin Roefs. The Netherlands are among the teams in the tournament with the strongest overall quality and will face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F. The trio of goalkeepers brings together three different generations of players – a 23-year-old first-choice keeper making his second appearance at a major tournament, a 32-year-old Bundesliga returnee who has come a long way, and a 23-year-old Premier League newcomer without a single international cap.

At 23, he is one of the youngest first-choice goalkeepers at this World Cup. Verbruggen took over the national team and has already put in some impressive performances at Euro 2024. He is developing rapidly in the Premier League with Brighton. Technically very sound, strong in building play and possessing a mental maturity far beyond his years. The Netherlands are among the favourites for the title – Verbruggen is a key component of that ambition.

Flekken is 32 years old and comes from a family of footballers – his father, mother and brother Roy all played football, and Roy also became a goalkeeper. His career path took him from Alemannia Aachen, just a few kilometres from his home town, via Greuther Fürth and MSV Duisburg, and after five successful years at SC Freiburg, to Brentford in the Premier League. There, he led the entire league last season with 153 saves and was ranked as the fifth-best goalkeeper in the world according to the CIES Football Observatory Index. In July 2025, he returned to the Bundesliga, joining Bayer Leverkusen for €10 million. This season, he has made 24 league appearances, keeping five clean sheets.

He made his international debut as recently as 2022 and was named in the squad for EURO 2024. With 11 international caps, he is Koeman’s reliable second choice – and one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the tournament at club level.

Roefs is 23 years old and the most unusual name in the trio. After ten years at the NEC Academy and a solid Eredivisie season in 2024/25, he joined Sunderland in August 2025 for €10.5 million – a club that had just secured promotion to the Premier League after a nine-year absence. There, he immediately secured a starting place and made 35 Premier League appearances, keeping ten clean sheets. His breakthrough moment: in the FA Cup third-round match against Everton in January 2026, he saved all three penalties in the shoot-out and became the face of the Sunderland project overnight. His first senior call-up for the Netherlands came in August 2025 – he has yet to make a single appearance. The World Cup is his first major tournament and, at the same time, the biggest moment so far in a career that has only just begun.