Poland vs Netherlands facts

Group D of UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg as Poland take on the Netherlands – who last lost to their opponents in 1979.

Poland are making their fifth successive finals appearance but failed to win a game at EURO 2020, when the Netherlands eased through their group only to lose to Czechia in the round of 16.

Austria and France complete Group D.

Previous meetings

Matches 19
Netherlands wins 9
Poland wins 3
Draws 7
Netherlands goals 28
Poland goals 19

The teams have met in the last two editions of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands winning three of those four matches and drawing the other.

A Dutch side coached by Louis van Gaal were 2-0 winners in Warsaw in the last of those games, on 22 September 2022, thanks to a goal in each half from Cody Gakpo (14) and Steven Bergwijn (60).

Czesław Michniewicz's Poland had taken a 2-0 lead in Rotterdam in the previous match, on 11 June 2022, thanks to strikes from Matty Cash (18) and Piotr Zieliński (49) only for Davy Klaassen (51) and Denzel Dumfries (54) to rescue a point.

Frank de Boer was the Netherlands coach in the 2020/21 Nations League games against Jerzy Brzęczek's Poland, the Oranje needing late goals from Memphis Depay (77pen) and Georginio Wijnaldum (84) to secure a 2-1 away win in Chorzow on 18 November 2020.

Bergwijn had scored the only goal of the game in Amsterdam on 4 September that year.

This is the teams' first final tournament meeting although they have been paired in UEFA European Championship qualifying three times, including in the Dutch's victorious 1988 campaign when they drew 0-0 at home in Amsterdam before a 2-0 away victory in which Ruud Gullit scored twice. Current coach Ronald Koeman started both games.

Koeman made three further appearances against Poland as a player, two in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying (2-2 h, 3-1 a) and the other a 1-1 friendly draw in Eindhoven on 11 September 1991.

The teams swapped home wins in the 1976 European Championship qualifying campaign, Poland winning 4-1 in Chorzow before a 3-0 Dutch success in Amsterdam. Poland were also victorious in Chorzow in qualifying for the 1980 tournament – their last win in this fixture – and drew 1-1 away.

The Dutch have won six of their last seven games against Poland and are unbeaten in 12 (W7 D5).

EURO facts

Poland

Having never featured in a European Championship before 2008, Poland are making their fifth successive appearance in the tournament.

Their most successful campaign came at EURO 2016 when they finished second in Group C behind Germany and then beat Switzerland on penalties in the round of 16 before losing to eventual champions Portugal in the last eight, also on spot kicks.

Under Paulo Sousa, Poland failed to win a game at EURO 2020, losing to Slovakia (1-2) and Sweden (2-3) either side of a 1-1 draw against Spain to finish bottom of Group E.

Poland kicked off EURO 2024 qualifying under Fernando Santos, who guided Portugal to victory in 2016, but the coach – who had been appointed on 24 January 2023 – was dismissed on 13 September with his side having lost three of their first five qualifiers, against Czechia (1-3), Moldova (2-3) and Albania (0-2).

Michał Probierz was named as Santos's successor and took five points from his three qualifiers as Poland finished three in Group E on 11 points, four behind both Albania and Czechia.

Poland were therefore forced to rely on the play-offs to secure their final place, beating Estonia 5-1 in Warsaw in the Path A semi-finals and earning a goalless draw away to Wales in the Cardiff final, progressing 5-4 on penalties with all five Poland players converting from the spot and Wojciech Szczęsny saving Wales's fifth kick from Dan James.

This is Poland's fourth match at the Volksparkstadion, the previous three games all against Germany and all ending in draws – friendlies in 1959 (1-1) and 2014 (0-0) and a goalless draw in 1972 European Championship qualifying in November 1971.

Netherlands

This is the Netherlands' 11th EURO appearance, their most famous campaign coming in 1988 when goals from Gullit and Marco van Basten earned a team coached by Rinus Michels a 2-0 final win against the Soviet Union.

The Dutch are making their ninth appearance in the last ten editions of the tournament, missing out only in 2016.

At EURO 2020, under Frank de Boer, the Netherlands were first in Group C on nine points after wins against Ukraine (3-2), Austria (2-0) and North Macedonia (3-0), but then lost 2-0 to Czechia in the round of 16.

With Koeman – a European champion as a player in 1988 – returning for his second spell in charge from 1 January 2023, the Netherlands qualified for EURO 2024 as Group B runners-up. Beaten 4-0 away and 2-1 at home by section winners France, they triumphed in their other six games, a 1-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland in Amsterdam in their penultimate qualifier confirming a finals place.

The Netherlands' record at Volksparkstadion is W2 L1, their most famous visit their first, a 2-1 win against hosts West Germany in the semi-finals of the 1988 UEFA European Championship, Van Basten scoring a late winner after Koeman had levelled from the penalty spot. The Oranje also lost 3-0 to Germany in a 2011 friendly but were 4-2 winners on their last visit, in EURO 2020 qualifying on 6 September 2019, with Frenkie de Jong, Donyell Malen and Georginio Wijnaldum all scoring.

Links and trivia

Has played in the Netherlands:
Sebastian Szymański (Feyenoord 2022/23 loan)

Bart Verbruggen and Jakub Moder have played together for Brighton since 2023.

Kacper Urbański and Joshua Zirkzee have been Bologna team-mates since August 2022.

Have played together:
Wojciech Szczęsny & Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus 2019–22)
Nicola Zalewski & Georginio Wijnaldum (Roma 2022/23)
Sebastian Szymański & Justin Bijlow, Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord 2022/23)
Łukasz Skorupski & Jerdy Schouten (Bologna 2019–23)
Robert Lewandowski & Joshua Zirkzee (Bayern München 2019–21)

Lewandowski has five goals in four UEFA Champions League games against Ajax for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern – four of those goals coming in Amsterdam.

Lewandowski also scored three goals in two games against PSV Eindhoven for Bayern in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage.