Euro 2024 qualifying: Netherlands vs. France head-to-head record

While both sides are unsurprisingly occupying the two automatic qualification spots in a section also comprising the Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar and Greece, France have blitzed the competition with five wins from five and need only take another three points on Friday to seal a place in next year's Finals.

Even a draw would be enough for Didier Deschamps's side if Greece are beaten by the Irish, while the Netherlands sit one place and six points worse off than their upcoming visitors, albeit with a game in hand.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record between the Netherlands and France ahead of Friday's blockbuster battle.

Across a 115-year spell of competitive and non-competitive fixtures, the Netherlands and France have squared off 29 times down the years, and Les Bleus just about edge the victories tally with 15 successes compared to 11 for Oranje, while another three contests have ended all square.

Traditionally a high-scoring encounter, 116 goals have flown in during their 29 contests - an average of exactly four per game - and while France top the wins column, the Netherlands have netted 60 times in this fixture compared to Les Bleus' 56.

A 1908 friendly marked the first-ever showdown between the two European behemoths - a fixture which the Netherlands prevailed in by four goals to one before another trio of emphatic exhibition wins, triumphing 5-0 (1921), 8-1 (1923) and 4-3 (1931) before France finally came up trumps in a 5-4 spectacular in 1934.

Defences continued to come under siege in subsequent fixtures, as all of the first 10 meetings between the two sides included at least four goals - a streak which was snapped when the Dutch edged a tight friendly 1-0 in 1963.

Twelve successive friendlies would be played out before the Netherlands and France met for the first time in a competitive setting, with both sides winning one apiece during qualifying for the 1982 World Cup, and a 2-0 victory for Les Bleus marked the start of a recent spate of dominance in this fixture.

From winning five of their first six fixtures with France, the Netherlands now have just three victories to show from their last 16 affairs with Les Bleus, who prevailed on penalties in the quarter-finals of the 1996 European Championships in their most high-profile meeting to date - Clarence Seedorf was the unfortunate soul to miss his spot kick.

The Netherlands partially avenged that loss with victories in the Euro 2000 and Euro 2008 group stages - winning the latter encounter 4-1 - but with France enjoying a revival while the Dutch were in decline, the recent head-to-head column is a sobering sight for Oranje.

Friday's hosts did inflict France's first defeat since their 2018 World Cup triumph in the inaugural Nations League, but Les Bleus have otherwise clinched six wins from their last seven contests and taught Ronald Koeman's men a footballing lesson seven months ago, destroying Oranje in a 4-0 Group B success before going on to dominate the rest of the group.

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