The Dutch women’s football team can make history later on Thursday by qualifying for the first time for the World Cup.

The Oranje women take on Italy in their crucial final qualifying match in Italy. The two sides drew 1-1 during the first leg in The Hague on Saturday.

Football is an increasingly popular sport among Dutch women and girls and some 136,000 are now members of Dutch clubs. In 2001, the figure was 67,000.

In 2009 the Dutch women qualified for the European Championships for the first time and reached the semi-finals.

This July, the Dutch under-19 women’s team won the European title and Vivianne Miedema, now the women’s team’s main striker, was top scorer with six goals. Miedema, who is 18, recently signed to Bayern Munich for a three-year period.