Sources: Netherlands appoints VALORANT roster for the Esports Nations Cup

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the Netherlands have locked their roster for the Esports Nation Cup. With a lot of experience in this roster, it will be composed of:

As a reminder, the national team's coaching staff is led by Milan "Milan" de Meij, alongside Martijn "FinalMoment" Brundel and Richard "r1ch" Thomassen. The roster also features players with VCT experience, such as RobbieBk, who has competed in both the EMEA and Americas regions. He will be joined by established Tier 2 players like Apyr, as well as a top-tier coaching staff led by Milan, the former Fnatic coach.

Beyond the roster itself, the Dutch selection appears to be centered around RobbieBk. The Dutch player has spent the last few years moving through several competitive environments, notably with Joblife, Gentle Mates, and LOUD. This has given him experience of different team structures and levels of expectation within the European and international VALORANT scene.

This makes his profile particularly important for the Netherlands, not only because of his individual ability, but also because he is one of the players most capable of providing the team with clear competitive direction. Names such as Apyr, rYn, Tenshi, and Kya add further domestic depth to the lineup, combining local familiarity with players who have already been exposed to structured competition.

The coaching staff also lends the project more credibility. Milan, in particular, brings significant experience from Fnatic, where he worked within one of the most established structures in EMEA before being promoted to head coach. In this role, he attempted to reach the 2025 Champions Final. His presence provides the Netherlands with a coach who understands how to operate in high-pressure environments and work within a team expected to deliver results.

Alongside Finalmoment and r1ch, Milan should be able to provide the roster with a clear framework something that is especially valuable in a national team event where preparation time is often limited. For the Netherlands, this organisational structure could be just as important as the players themselves, helping the squad to quickly define roles, build a shared identity, and avoid appearing as just a collection of individuals.

As a reminder, 16 out of the 32 participating nations will earn direct invitations to the tournament’s main event. Direct qualification is based on a team’s total points, which are calculated from player performance. Each nation’s ranking is determined by the combined points of its five highest-scoring players.

With the few points the Netherlands team has accumulated with their selected players, they rank among the teams with the fewest points, including two players with zero points. This means the team will have to go through the qualifiers if they want to participate in the main event: