Although the Netherlands' Under-21 team did not impress during the European Championship qualifiers, they were likely one of the teams Denmark hoped to avoid when the draw for the play-off matches and the deciding spots for the final tournament took place on Friday.

However, after Denmark was drawn first, the Netherlands emerged as their opponent.

The teams will face each other twice in November—home and away—with the aggregate winner securing a spot at next summer's European Championship.

The final tournament, hosted by Albania and Serbia, is set to take place from 16 June to 3 July.

The Netherlands are known for developing talented players, but the team underperformed in the qualifiers. They suffered away defeats against both Norway and Israel, and both nations managed draws in their away games against the Dutch.

The Dutch struggled for much of the qualifying campaign but showed promise in their final two matches. They beat Slovenia 4–2 away and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4–0 in the last round of fixtures.

With Norway drawing 1–1 against Israel in the same round, the Netherlands overtook Israel to claim second place, securing a spot in the play-offs. Norway claimed the direct ticket to the European Championship.

In the final round of qualifying, Denmark also had the chance to secure direct qualification for the tournament.

A home victory over Belgium would have given the Danish talents a ticket to the European Championship. However, they had to settle for a goalless draw, allowing the Belgians to win the group.