Virgil van Dijk reveals his international retirement plan

After the Netherlands confirmed their qualification for the World Cup, Virgil van Dijk revealed his plan for international retirement.

This international break brought another 180 minutes of football for Van Dijk, who captained the Netherlands to a 4-0 win over Lithuania on Monday night to secure top spot in Group G.

After wearing the armband for the 72nd time – more than any other Dutch player – Van Dijk announced to his teammates that the 2026 World Cup would be his “final” major tournament.

In the dressing room, he said: “I obviously want to thank everyone who’s here, all the players, the staff and all the people who make sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.

“I’m proud to be the captain of Oranje and to lead you every single time. I’m already excited for the final tournament and to achieve success together.”

Whether this means Van Dijk will retire from international football immediately following the World Cup, we don’t yet know.

However, it does signal that his Netherlands career is coming to an end in what could be a boost for Liverpool. Less international football would arguably allow him to maintain his level at Anfield for longer.

Before then, Van Dijk still has the World Cup and the March international break in which the Netherlands should play two friendlies.

The 34-year-old added: “March will be our first step toward that goal. I’m proud – proud of all of you. You’re an amazing group, you work so hard and we have so much quality. Here’s to chasing success together.”

As mentioned, Van Dijk has now captained his country more than any other player, overtaking Frank de Boer who commented: “Virgil, congratulations on breaking my record as the player with the most caps as captain of Oranje.

“You’ve worn the armband 72 times – a great achievement of which you should be really proud. You’re a true leader and hopefully many more great moments will follow with you as captain.”

When is the World Cup draw?

The draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the USA, Canada and Mexico, will take place on Friday, December 5 at 5pm (GMT).

The ceremony will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and also include the first presentation of the first FIFA Peace Prize – no rewards for guessing who will win (Donald Trump).

Assuming they make their countries’ respective squads, the following Liverpool players have already qualified:

• Wataru Endo (Japan)
• Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
• Alisson (Brazil)
• Mo Salah (Egypt)
• Ibrahima Konate & Hugo Ekitike (France)
• Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch & Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands)
• Andy Robertson (Scotland)

In addition, Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak will enter the play-offs with Northern Ireland and Sweden respectively. Meanwhile, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa are outside shouts to be called up.