Louis van Gaal takes 26 players to Qatar: follow the World Cup on MAX Today

The countdown to the first Winter World Cup in football history can begin. National coach Louis van Gaal has announced which 26 players belong to his squad in Qatar. Who will try for the world title with Orange? When will the Dutch national team take action? And what can you expect during the World Cup on MAX Today? We will explain everything to you.

The selection

Van Gaal initially has 39 players in his shortlist but could include 26 in the final selection. This means that 13 players dropped out at the very last minute. Jasper Cillessen and Mark Flek are the guardians who are just outside the boat. Additionally, defenders Mitchel Bakker, Sven Botman, Devyne Rensch, Pascal Struijk and Micky van de Ven, midfielders Jordy Clasie, Ryan Gravenberch and Guus Til and strikers Brian Brobbey, Arnaut Danjuma and Donyell Malen did not part of the final selection. Here are the 26 players who will board the plane for Qatar:

Guardians: Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Andries Noppert (Sc Heerenveen) and Remko Pasveer (Ajax).

Defenders: Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Tyrell Malacia (Manchester United), Jurriën Timber (Ajax) and Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan).

Midfielders: Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta Bergamo), Marten de Roon (Atalanta Bergamo), Xavi Simons (PSV) and Kenneth Taylor (Ajax).

Forwards: Steven Bergwijn (Ajax), Memphis Depay (FC Barcelona), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Vincent Janssen (Royal Antwerp FC), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Noa Lang (Club Bruges) and Wout Weghorst (Besiktas).

Orange timetable

The Dutch national team is seeded in Group A, along with host country Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador. The match against Senegal, African champions, takes place just after the opening, on Monday 21 November. 4 days later you can start the weekend with Netherlands-Ecuador, another 4 days later it’s the last group game against Qatar. The orange team will play its 3 group matches at the end of the afternoon. The matches against Senegal and Ecuador are at 5 p.m. Dutch time, the match against Qatar starts at 4 p.m. If Orange finish in 1st or 2nd place in the group, they will face a group B country in the next round. England, Iran, the United States or Wales can become the next opponent after the phase of groups.

• Monday, November 21, 5 p.m.: Netherlands – Senegal
• Friday, November 25, 5 p.m.: Netherlands – Ecuador
• Tuesday, November 29, 4 p.m.: Netherlands – Qatar
• Saturday, December 3, 4 p.m.: Netherlands-England/Iran/USA/Wales (if Orange becomes 1st in the group)
• Sunday, December 4, 8 p.m.: Netherlands-England/Iran/USA/Wales (if Orange becomes 2nd in the group)

The World Cup on MAX today

Also MAX today closely follows the Dutch national team. With Robbert – a transfer without MAXcolleague – and hey, we have 2 experienced football fans in our ranks. They will guide you throughout the World Cup around Orange matches. Additionally, you can MAX broadcast watch a two-part documentary about the national coach. Part 1 of Louis can be found herepart 2 is visible from Thursday, November 17, 2022.

(Source: KNVB, FIFA. Photo: ANP)