The Netherlands will face European champions Spain in the Nations League quarter-finals | OneFootball

Following Friday afternoon’s draw, the Netherlands will take on Spain in the Nations League last eight. Oranje will start the two-match series with a home match.

The Dutch were in Pot 2 as number two of the group stage and knew that they would face one of the group winners. Germany were excluded as a possible opponent because the Netherlands had already played them in the group stage.

France and Portugal were also among the potential opponents, but it was Spain that came out of the hat. Luis de la Fuente’s team won both the European Championship last summer and the Nations League.

The Netherlands have a positive record against Spain with six wins and five defeats in thirteen international matches. The last meeting between the two countries was a friendly match in 2020 and ended in a 1-1 draw. However, the last defeat against Spain, of course, arrived in the 2010 World Cup final.

The Nations League quarter-finals will be played on Thursday the 20th and Sunday the 23rd of March during the first international period of 2025. The semi-finals, both one-leg, are scheduled for Wednesday the 4th and Thursday the 5th of June. The final is on Sunday the 8th of June.

Should the Dutch team make it through the quarter-finals, they will play the winner of Croatia and France’s clash in the second semi-final. The other semi-final will be between the winners of Italy-Germany and Denmark-Portugal.

The Netherlands are participating in the final phase of the Nations League for the third time in four participations. During the first edition in 2019, they were defeated by Portugal (1-0). Last year, the Dutch lost against Croatia in their own country and eventually finished fourth.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield