Under Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands has developed into one of the most consistent teams in Europe. After reaching the semifinals in 2022 and the European Championship final in 2024, the Elftal is finally aiming for its first World Cup title. The squad combines a mix of established stars and up-and-coming talents.

Coach Ronald Koeman has named three goalkeepers for the Oranje: Bart Verbruggen, Mark Flekken, and Robin Roefs. The Netherlands is one of the teams in the tournament with the strongest overall quality and will face Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia in Group F. The trio of goalkeepers represents three different generations of players—a 23-year-old starting goalkeeper in his second major tournament, a 32-year-old Bundesliga returnee with a long journey behind him, and a 23-year-old Premier League rookie without a single international cap.

At 23, he is one of the youngest starting goalkeepers at this World Cup. Verbruggen took over the national team and has already put in impressive performances at EURO 2024. He continues to develop rapidly in the Premier League with Brighton. Technically very sound, strong in building play, and possessing a mental maturity far beyond his years. The Netherlands are among the favorites to win the title—Verbruggen is a key component of that ambition.

Flekken is 32 years old and comes from a family of soccer players—his father, mother, and brother Roy all played soccer, and Roy also became a goalkeeper. His career path took him from Alemannia Aachen, just a few kilometers from his hometown, to Greuther Fürth, MSV Duisburg, and five successful years at SC Freiburg, before moving to Brentford in the Premier League. There, he led the entire league last season with 153 saves and was ranked as the fifth-best goalkeeper in the world according to the CIES Football Observatory Index. In July 2025, he returned to the Bundesliga, joining Bayer Leverkusen for €10 million. This season, he has made 24 league appearances, keeping five clean sheets.

He didn’t make his international debut until 2022 and was named to the squad for EURO 2024. With 11 international appearances, he is Koeman’s reliable second choice—and one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the tournament at the club level.

Roefs is 23 years old and the most unusual name in the trio. After ten years at the NEC Academy and a solid 2024–25 Eredivisie season, he joined Sunderland in August 2025 for €10.5 million—a club that had just been promoted to the Premier League after a nine-year absence. There, he immediately secured a starting spot and played in 35 Premier League matches, keeping ten clean sheets. His breakthrough moment: In the FA Cup third-round match against Everton in January 2026, he saved all three attempts in the penalty shootout and became an overnight icon for the Sunderland project. His first senior call-up for the Netherlands came in August 2025—he has yet to make a single appearance. The World Cup is his first major tournament and, at the same time, the biggest moment so far in a career that has only just begun.