Former PSV player waiting for a season ticket names Oranje as an outsider for the world title

The Netherlands national team with PSV'er Guus Til in the squad plays Sunday evening at 10 p.m. Dutch time the first match at the 2026 World Cup against the strong Japan. The squad of national coach Ronald Koeman had not an altogether great dress rehearsal with a loss to Algeria (0-1) and a hard-fought victory over Uzbekistan (2-1).

As a result, expectations among the Dutch following are not exactly high for Oranje's chances at the World Cup. Nevertheless, former PSV player and current ESPN analyst Danny Koevermans believes that the Netherlands national team is one of the outsiders for the world title.

''If you look purely at the selection and if it goes a bit our way, why wouldn’t we be able to achieve it? We can all act negative, but let’s be a little chauvinistic and have confidence in Oranje. The friendly matches say absolutely nothing, maybe even the first match in the group hasn’t yet. As a team, you have to grow during the tournament'', says Koevermans to Omroep Brabant.

For the former striker, host countries Canada, Mexico and the USA are not outsiders for the world title, unlike the Netherlands. Koevermans himself played from 2011 to 2013 for the Canadian Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, and he also played four matches for the Netherlands national team, in which the former striker was once on target in the European Championship qualifying match against Luxembourg (1-0) on 17 November 2007.

According to the current analyst, the level of the American football league has improved greatly over the years. ''In the Netherlands we sometimes talk dismissively about Major League Soccer, but no team from that competition would get relegated from the Eredivisie'', Koevermans is categorical.

''After the 1994 World Cup, the league emerged with the idea of getting bigger and bigger. There is now a really great league with world stars (including Messi, Suárez and Müller), but also many gems from Central and South America. We in the Netherlands mostly don’t know them, because we mainly focus on European leagues,'' the former striker says even more.

Koevermans therefore also believes that the MLS is by no means a Mickey Mouse league. “The level is good, and add to that the physical aspect of the game, the players’ athletic ability, and the many trips, and clubs like PSV, Ajax, and Feyenoord really won’t be champions easily,” says the former striker.

Soccer in Canada is not exactly on the map as the country’s most popular sport, but nevertheless, over the years soccer has come more into view, and the Koef has noticed that too. ''It’s not the most important sport in the country; you have to think about ice hockey and lacrosse. But the national football team is doing very well and it’s alive. There’s definitely a sports culture. If in the cities the local teams are doing well, it’s a complete madhouse. Awesome to experience. I think that in America too there are multiple playing cities where the World Cup really takes off,'' said Koevermans, who, just like many others, is also on the waiting list for a season ticket for PSV. Koevermans, who lives in Helmond, still keeps a close eye on PSV’s performances.