Van Dijk to pursue 100th cap under new Netherlands coach Xavi

Thirty-five-year-old Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will remain part of the Netherlands national team setup. His decision follows a conversation last week in England with newly appointed head coach Xavi, according to reporting by Maarten Wijffels in the Algemeen Dagblad.

Van Dijk has earned 96 international appearances for the Netherlands and now targets his 100th cap. Wijffels writes: “Van Dijk held a fruitful conversation in England last week with the new head coach Xavi. Officially, everyone is still remaining silent, but both see enough prospects to start working together.”

Upcoming international schedule

The Netherlands is scheduled to play four matches in the coming weeks. With players set to report on Monday 21 September 2026, the revamped, combined international period begins ahead of those fixtures. A UEFA Nations League A match is scheduled for 24 September 2026 at 20:45.

The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) plans to issue the full squad announcement via press release around midday on 20 September 2026.

New call-ups and absences

PSV midfielder Ruben van Bommel will report in Zeist as one of several new faces expected to join the squad under Xavi’s leadership, per Wijffels’ report.

Frenkie de Jong remains unavailable due to ongoing recovery from a knee injury and will not be included in the upcoming squad.