The Dutch have long been one of soccer’s great innovators, producing some of the sport’s greatest teams and players. Yet one achievement continues to elude them: winning the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Does that make the Netherlands the “Buffalo Bills or Minnesota Vikings” of the FIFA World Cup? FOX Sports analyst Nick Wright certainly thinks so.
Nick Wright Explains Why the Netherlands Are the FIFA World Cup’s Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings
Speaking on “First Things First” on FS1, Wright explained why he remains skeptical of the Netherlands’ chances of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Netherlands, 5%,” Wright said on Oranje’s chances of winning the title. “Kind of the Minnesota Vikings or Buffalo Bills of the World Cup.” He had rated the USA’s chances at 3% and England’s at 6%.
Both NFL franchises are known for agonizingly close championship runs without ever lifting the Lombardi trophy. The Bills reached four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993 but lost each one, while the Vikings have appeared in four (Super Bowls 4, 8, 9, 11) and remain one of the league’s most successful franchises never to have lifted the title.
That’s a similar pattern to the one the Netherlands has followed on soccer’s biggest stage.
“They’ve been to the final three times. They have lost the final three times,” Wright added.
The Oranje have reached the FIFA World Cup final three times — in 1974, 1978, and 2010 — but lost each time.
🚨🇳🇱 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗭𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧: The Netherlands have lost 3 World Cup Finals, and never won one:
• 1974, lost to West Germany.
• 1978, lost to Argentina.
• 2010, lost to Spain. pic.twitter.com/P9VVrOxZyUAdvertisement. Scroll to continue reading.— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) June 14, 2026
“They also did invent Total Football,” Wright said, talking about the tactical philosophy popularized by legendary coach Rinus Michels and later perfected by Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff.
The philosophy helped shape some of the most iconic Dutch teams of the 1970s and left a lasting impact on the modern game. Elements of Total Football can still be seen today in possession-based systems influenced by Cruyff’s students, like Pep Guardiola and current Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.
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“There is some feeling for Dutch fans of, we’d rather lose playing the Dutch way than win playing the way some of these other European nations do,” Wright said.
“I’d want to just win, but what do I know?” he joked. “Listen, I’m not Dutch.”
Well, Wright is kind of right on this part. The Dutch love being committed to playing attractive, easy-on-the-eye soccer even if that devotion has come at the cost of missing out on trophies.
While Koeman wants the Oranje to play on the front foot, he has acknowledged that the North American conditions may force some compromises. The Dutch manager admitted the summer heat could limit how aggressively his side presses compared to what would’ve been expected of a Netherlands side.
“I don’t believe that with the heat in America, it is possible to put pressure on the opponent for 90 minutes,” the Netherlands manager noted.
Whether the Netherlands can prove Wright wrong about the “Vikings or Bills of the World Cup” label remains to be seen.
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Interestingly, though, the Dutch do have one prediction in their favor. German mathematician Joachim Klement, whose statistical model correctly predicted Germany (2014), France (2018), and Argentina (2022) as champions, has backed the Netherlands to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
If Klement gets it right again, the Dutch will finally lift their first World Cup trophy and leave the Bills and Vikings to suffer through the jokes on their own.
Robert Lee
June 25, 2026 at 3:03 pm
The Bills and Vikings comparison is genuinely perfect for the Netherlands. Three finals, three losses, each one more agonizing than the last. The 1974 final against West Germany is still considered
one of the greatest World Cup teams in history and they still could not win it.
What makes the Dutch situation so fascinating is that Wright is right about their philosophy too. There really is a cultural pride in HOW they play that sometimes seems to matter more than winning.
Total Football changed the game permanently. Cruyff’s influence can be traced directly to Guardiola and every modern possession system. They shaped modern football more than most champions ever did.
The Klement angle is the interesting wrinkle here though. Three correct predictions in a row is not luck. If his model is backing Netherlands again that deserves serious attention regardless of how you feel about the Bills and Vikings comparison.
I went ahead and made my Netherlands prediction card on Prediction Card Maker before their group games predicted them getting through but losing in the semis to France. Still sticking with that call.
Would love to see them finally break the curse this summer but history and Nick Wright seem to disagree.