Netherlands Considers Using Goalkeeper Robin Rops as Penalty Specialist Against Morocco in 2026 World Cup

The Netherlands national football team has a history of being eliminated from major tournaments via penalty shootouts, including three times in the European Championship and three times in the World Cup. Ahead of their knockout match against Morocco in the 2026 World Cup, Dutch media outlet Telegraaf suggested the team might revive a bold strategy by deploying Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Rops as a penalty specialist.

Historically, the Dutch have struggled with penalty shootouts, suffering heartbreaks in the 1998 World Cup and European Championships in 1992, 1996, and 2000. However, in 2004, they briefly overcame this trauma by eliminating Sweden in a shootout during the European Championship quarterfinals. In the 2014 World Cup, coach Louis van Gaal famously substituted goalkeeper Tim Krul just before a quarterfinal shootout against Costa Rica, with Krul saving crucial penalties. Yet, in the 2014 semifinal against Argentina, the Dutch lost in penalties without the option to use Krul, who was already substituted.

In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, again under van Gaal, the Netherlands lost to Argentina in a quarterfinal penalty shootout. These repeated disappointments, including a loss to Spain in the 2025 Nations League, have heightened Dutch media concerns about facing another shootout, this time against Morocco in the round of 32 in 2026.

Telegraaf raised the question of whether coach Ronald Koeman will trust first-choice goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt during penalties or opt for the unconventional move of substituting in Robin Rops as a "wild card." Rops has saved 4 out of 8 penalties faced in his career, a 50% save rate significantly better than Vandevoordt's 7 saves out of 54 penalties. Second-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken has a much lower success rate, saving only 1 out of 47 penalties. Given these statistics, the media considers using Rops as a penalty specialist a logical choice for the upcoming match.