Netherlands completes European automatic qualifiers for World Cup
The Netherlands have secured qualification for their first FIFA World Cup since a third-place finish in Brazil in 2014 after picking up a 2-0 win over Norway in their final game of the group stage.
The Netherlands missed out on the 2018 tournament but have looked good throughout the qualification stages, with Barcelona forward Memphis Depay playing a key role for them by having a hand in 18 goals across the qualifiers.
The Netherlands scored two late goals through Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay to claim victory over Norway in a match of low quality in Rotterdam. The win saw the Netherlands book the last remaining automatic ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, having missed the 2018 edition of the Mundial.
Depay scored 12 goals in qualifying to emerge as the top scorer alongside England captain Harry Kane, who scored seven of his 12 goals in the last two matches against Albania and San Marino.
The Netherlands will join defending champions France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Switzerland, Croatia, England and the number one ranked team in the world, Belgium, in the main draws for the World Cup in Qatar after they each topped their respective qualifying groups.
Group A runners-up Portugal, Group C runners-up Italy, Group E runners-up Wales, Group F runners-up Scotland, Group G runners-up Turkey, Group J runners-up North Macedonia, Group B runners-up Sweden, Group I runners-up Poland, Group H runners-up Russia, Group D runners-up Ukraine, and two UEFA Nations League group winners Austria and the Czech Republic will compete in two one-legged playoffs for the final three spots reserved for European countries at the 2022 World Cup.
Italy will want to avoid a repeat of their playoff heartbreak that saw them miss out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup when Sweden defeated them over two legs. The playoffs will take place in March 2022 with a semifinal and a final.
