An unprecedented statistical milestone was recorded at the 2026 World Cup just before the kickoff of the match between the Netherlands and Japan. For the first time in the Netherlands’ World Cup history, head coach Ronald Koeman named a starting lineup that did not feature a single player from the Eredivisie, the country’s top domestic league.
All 11 starters for the Netherlands in this match play exclusively in international leagues. This occurrence is particularly ironic given that Japan’s starting XI included two players from the Dutch league, highlighting a striking disparity.
This situation resulted in greater representation of the Dutch domestic league in the Japanese team than in the Netherlands’ own national side.