Xavi appointed Netherlands head coach — first non-Dutch boss since 1978

Xavi Hernández has been appointed Netherlands head coach on a four-year deal, the KNVB confirmed. The 46-year-old Spaniard succeeds Ronald Koeman, who resigned after a 2025 World Cup last-32 defeat by Morocco. Xavi becomes the first non-Dutch coach to lead the Oranje since Austria's Ernst Happel stepped down in 1978.