SK Punang

Netherlands

Few national teams outside of South America have been so closely associated with a particular brand of entertaining, attacking soccer as the Netherlands. The country's reputation was cemented at the 1974 World Cup, when it used an idiosyncratic style known as "total football" - a style of interchangeable roles and positions that was as dazzling as it was potent - to finish as runner-up to host Germany, with victories over Brazil and Argentina along the way.

The Netherlands has maintained that reputation over the years with the help of stars like Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp, to name just a few, but the acclaim has not always yielded results. The Dutch failed to qualify for either of the World Cups played in the 1980s and more recently missed out on the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

After playing strongly in the group stage in Germany in 2006, the Netherlands lost, 1-0, to Portugal in the second round as the two teams combined for an astonishing 16 yellow cards. Four players were sent off.

In its current iteration, the Dutch squad has shown a familiar devotion to attacking and has also maintained its standard of quality, entering this World Cup as the fourth-ranked team in the world. Wesley Sneijder, a precise passer with exemplary playmaking skills, and Arjen Robben, a whirlwind of speed and dribbling skill on the wing are the driving forces of the team's dynamic offense.

The Netherlands was the first European team to qualify for South Africa - officially earning its berth in June 2009 - after strolling through a group that included Norway, Scotland, Macedonia and Iceland. The Dutch won all eight of their matches in the qualifying round, outscoring their opponents by 17-2.