Beginning in 1974 when the Dutch lost the 1974 FIFA World Cup to West Germany in the final (though deeply rooted in Dutch anti-German sentiment due to the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II), the rivalry between the two nations has become one of the best known international football rivalries in the world.
The rivalry between the Netherlands and Germany, which started in 1974 when the Netherlands lost to West Germany in the World Cup final (a result fueled by Dutch resentment towards Germany due to their wartime occupation of the Netherlands), has become one of the most renowned international football rivalries worldwide.