Netherlands women's football team, also known as the Oranje or the Lionesses (Leeuwinnen), represents the country in international football competitions such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, Olympic Games, and UEFA European Women's Championship.
History
Although the Netherlands' first official game came in 1971, they had unofficially been playing since 1956 beginning with a match against West Germany.
Until relatively recently, the Oranje had made little impact on the world stage having failed to qualify for the Euros, World Cup, or Olympic Games until 2009, 2015, and 2021, respectively.
However, since they began reaching these major tournaments, the Netherlands have shown themselves to be impressive contenders.
They reached the semifinals in their Euros debut, before lifting the trophy in 2017, becoming the first team other than Germany to win the tournament since Norway's victory in 1993. In just their second appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2 years later, they made it all the way to the final before being beaten by the United States.
