TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Dutch national team has been awarded the 2026 World Cup Fair Play Award, recognizing them as the team with exemplary fair play behavior throughout the tournament, which took place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The award was announced by FIFA following Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States, on Sunday.
The award provided some consolation for the Netherlands, which had to leave the 2026 World Cup early after being eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 32 on penalties.
Looking solely at foul and card statistics, the Netherlands was not the cleanest team in the 2026 World Cup.
The Netherlands received three yellow cards, the same number as Algeria, Germany, and Senegal, who were all eliminated in the Round of 32, and even the same number as Norway, which reached the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, in terms of total fouls, the Netherlands committed 44 during the tournament, only surpassing Germany (51) but exceeding Algeria (29) and Senegal (36).
However, fouls and cards are not the only criteria used to determine the Fair Play Award. FIFA is also known to consider a team's respect for their opponents and the sportsmanship displayed throughout the tournament.
Only teams that advance to the knockout stages after the group stage are eligible to receive the World Cup Fair Play Award.
This is the Netherlands' first World Cup Fair Play Award, making them the eleventh team to receive the award since it was first awarded in 1970.
The following is a list of World Cup Fair Play Award recipients for each edition since 1970:
1970 - Peru
1974 - West Germany
1978 - Argentina
1982 - Brazil
1986 - Brazil
1990 - England
1994 - Brazil
1998 - England & France
2002 - Belgium
2006 - Brazil & Spain
2010 - Spain
2014 - Colombia
2018 - Spain
2022 - England
Read: Kylian Mbappe Becomes First Player to Win World Cup Golden Boot Twice
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