Unlike a sporting rivalry between two clubs, based on league position, a derby is a match held between two clubs that are geographically close to one another. In English football, rivalries often exist between neighboring towns or villages. In European football however, battles are waged between neighboring nations. One of the biggest derby matches, exists between Belgium and the Netherlands.
The followers of each side are fervent supporters, visiting home clashes, traveling to away games, learning the anthems and keeping up to date with sports trivia and analytics. Statistics and background info on teams, coaches and players has become incredibly interesting to fans, with Jupiler Pro League statistieken offering insights to Belgium’s highest league.
Read on, to learn more about the ongoing rivalry between these otherwise peaceful nations.
A Bit Of Background
The Low Countries are so called because much of their land along the North Sea coast and for some distance inland, is either below or slightly above sea level. More than a quarter of the total land area of the Netherlands is below sea level, for example.
Apart from low-lying land, the Dutch and Belgians also share a love of football, relying on sites such as live voetbal scores to keep up to date with happenings. The contest between the two teams is one of the strongest rivalries in international football, having played 129 official derbies. Only Argentina and Uruguay, and Austria and Hungary can claim to have met more often.
The first official match of the Low Countries derby, Derby der Lage Landen in Dutch and Derby des Plats Pays in French, took place in Antwerp on the 30th of April 1905 (Netherlands 4 v Belgium 1).
The Netherlands and Belgium have met in several tournaments in their derby bouts:
- 12 games were played between the two sides, in the World Cup Qualifiers
- Two in the World Cup itself
- Two more in the European Qualifiers
- And another two encounters in the Nations League
- The Olympic Games saw two more meetings
- With the most games held being ‘friendlies’, at 109 matches. Most games between 1905 and 1925 were friendly ones
In total, the Netherlands has walked away with more wins (57 to 41) and more goals (289 to 221) in their meetings. The Belgian team has however won more in World Cup meetings, beating the Netherlands in the USA in 1994 and drawing to them in France in 1998.
The Belgian Side
Belgium is a country of more than 11 million people, and according to Britannica: “If Belgians could play only one sport, it probably would be football (soccer). The Royal Belgian Football Association encompasses thousands of teams and clubs. Belgian’s national team, known as the Red Devils, has long been a power in international competitions.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is the governing body of football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954. The national team’s nickname is De Rode Duivels, or The Red Devils in English.
The Belgian Pro League, known officially as the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons, is the nation’s highest football league. It is contested by 16 clubs, with seasons running from late July to late March.
Belgium’s best finish in the World Cup is third, at the Russian World Cup in 2018. With its second best finish of fourth, happening in Mexico in 1986.
The Dutch Side
The Netherlands has over 17 million inhabitants and is known for youth development in soccer. The nation’s governing body (KNVB) states on its website that: “Football is the absolute number 1 sport within the Netherlands; players start at a very young age. We don’t care where we play the game; in the school yard, in front of our house or at well-structured clubs. Football is part of our culture and daily life. Our club life is perhaps the foundation of our success…”.
The governing body, the Royal Dutch Football Association or Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (KNVB) is part of UEFA and under the jurisdiction of FIFA. The national team goes by many names, one of the most famous is Oranje, like the color.
The Dutch hold the record for playing the most World Cup finals without ever winning the tournament. They finished second in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 World Cups, losing to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively. Their most recent high finish, was third place in 2014.
In The End
Low Country derby football fans are as competitive as they are humorous, with bright shirts, chants, synchronized dances and camaraderie.
