Xavi Hernández faces Germany first as Oranje players welcome new coach

Xavi Hernández will begin his tenure as Netherlands coach against Germany on 24 September, according to VI. The Nations League fixture marks the start of a new international cycle, with Oranje returning their focus to European competition following the World Cup.

The Netherlands have been placed in a League A group alongside Germany, Greece and Serbia. Xavi’s side are due to play each opponent home and away, producing six matches this year. If Oranje advance, the Nations League quarter-finals will follow in March, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for June.

Qualification for Euro 2028 will be the longer-term priority. The tournament will be staged across England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, but the Netherlands’ qualifying opponents and group size remain unknown. A five-team group would mean beginning the campaign in March, while a four-team section would delay Oranje’s opening qualifier until September 2027. All groups are set to finish in November 2027, with possible play-offs in March 2028.

Xavi Simons welcomed the appointment on social media and recalled that he was named after the former Barcelona midfielder. The Tottenham Hotspur player is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and is expected to miss the rest of the calendar year. Ian Maatsen also reacted positively, telling Ziggo Sport after Aston Villa’s European Super Cup defeat that the appointment was “good news”. The left-back added that he hopes to work his way back into the national squad under the new coach.