The final legs of UEFA qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup begin on Friday. Hooligan Soccer will be bringing you some match previews of the most important fixtures, starting with Hungary hosting the Netherlands.
How They Got Here
The Dutch had a tricky league phase, sitting in group A2 alongside powerhouse France, Republic of Ireland and Poland. After drawing the Poles 2-2, they eked out a 2-1 win over Ireland giving them some confidence heading into back-to-back fixtures against France. And Het Leeuwinnen delivered, pulling together and grabbing four points from a solid 2-1 win and 1-1 draw against Les Bleues. They proceeded to stumble when Ireland thumped them 3-2, but finished strong with a convincing win 3-1 over Poland, finishing second with 11 points overall.
Hungary had a much easier road in group C3. After an eyebrow-raising 0-0 draw to Andorra, they went on a five-match winning streak. They completely dominated the remaining games, some highlights being a 12-0 rout of North Macedonia over two legs and a 6-1 victory over Andorra in the reverse fixture. Azerbaijan presented stiffer competition, but they prevailed there 1-0 and 2-1.
A Clean Slate and a Long Shot
Quite surprisingly, these two countries have never played each other despite sharing the same conference since 1985. So we’re looking at a fresh canvas upon which to paint some history, which will undoubtedly be very orange.
The Netherlands is a better side, and should dispatch Hungary with a minimum of fuss. This superiority is acknowledged not only in the FIFA rankings (Oranje 10; Hungary 45), but where each country’s players ply their club trade. Half the Hungarian team plays domestically; only two ladies play in the Women’s Champions League. For the Netherlands, 43% of their squad play for clubs competing in that tournament and the remainder in some of the toughest competitive leagues across Europe.
Hungary’s women have never qualified for an international tournament; the Dutch are former Euros winners (2017) and World Cup runners-up (2019).
Who to Watch
Henrietta Csiszár is Hungary’s captain. At 32 years-old, the Inter Milan midfielder is still the team’s heartbeat and playmaker, with 137 caps earned. But three younger ladies are stepping up and making names for themselves. Diána Csányi (28), Vanessza Nagy (24) and Emöke Pápai (23) each have three goals in the qualifying campaign. Nagy has been playing up in the no.9, and those three goals have come in only six games.
Netherlands manager Arjan Veurink has called up a younger side, though the squad is just as festooned with talent as previous years. Only captain Dominique Janssen and midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk are over 30. Scoring is a true team affair, with no player having bagged more than two goals across the past six matches.
Fresh off a crucial goal against Poland, expect PSV’s Liz Rijsbergen to start up top, flanked by Esmee Brugts and Lineth Beerensteyn. I would also keep eyes on Chelsea’s Wieke Kaptien and cool-headed veteran Jill Roord, who can also score from any spot of the pitch.
The Qooligan is an alias of Hooligan Soccer founder Q Williams. Q is a 20+ year veteran of numerous technology and media companies, including MTV, Gracenote, Watchwith and Crunchyroll. He has a master’s degree in European History from Columbia University. Q is also a respected Sports Journalist with extensive experience in Soccer, particularly the Premier League, Champions League, MLS and USL. The Qooligan provides analysis and valuable insights based on years of professional practice. Connect with The Qooligan on X and Bluesky. He is committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy content that reflects expertise, experience and no shortage of attitude.
