Group F · World Cup 2026

Netherlands
5-1

LIVE

Sweden

Saturday 20 June at 18:00 UK time · NRG Stadium, Houston

Netherlands vs Sweden Live: World Cup 2026

Live Updates

  • 90'Elliot Stroud on for Gabriel Gudmundsson
  • 90'Noa Lang on for Cody Gakpo
  • 89'Crysencio Summerville
  • 80'Lucas Bergvall
  • 79'Taha Abdi Ali on for Yasin Ayari
  • 75'Yasin Ayari
  • 72'Memphis Depay on for Brian Brobbey
  • 59'Teun Koopmeiners on for Frenkie de Jong
  • 59'Guus Til on for Tijjani Reijnders
  • 59'Anthony Elanga
  • 56'Besfort Zeneli on for Jesper Karlström
  • 56'Lucas Bergvall on for Benjamin Nygren
  • 56'Anthony Elanga on for Alexander Bernhardsson
  • 54'Cody Gakpo
  • 53'Gabriel Gudmundsson
  • 47'Cody Gakpo
  • 46'Crysencio Summerville on for Donyell Malen
  • 17'Brian Brobbey
  • 5'Brian Brobbey
  • 90+3'E. Stroud on for G. Gudmundsson
  • 90'N. Lang on for C. Gakpo
  • 89'C. Summerville
  • 80'L. Bergvall
  • 79'T. Ali on for Y. Ayari
  • 75'Y. Ayari
  • 72'M. Depay on for B. Brobbey
  • 59'G. Til on for T. Reijnders
  • 59'T. Koopmeiners on for F. de Jong
  • 59'A. Elanga
  • 56'L. Bergvall on for B. Nygren
  • 56'B. Zeneli on for J. Karlstrom
  • 55'A. Elanga on for A. Bernhardsson
  • 54'C. Gakpo
  • 53'G. Gudmundsson
  • 47'C. Gakpo
  • 46'C. Summerville on for D. Malen
  • 17'B. Brobbey
  • 5'B. Brobbey

Events update about once a minute. The full match report and player ratings publish shortly after full time.

Confirmed Lineups

Ronald Koeman has gone with a straightforward 4-3-3, and the attacking selection is the headline. Brian Brobbey leads the line with Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen flanking him, a pace-driven forward line that suggests Koeman wants speed and physicality over a veteran focal point. Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst are among the substitutes. The midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Frenkie de Jong, and Tijjani Reijnders is as strong as the Netherlands can field, with Teun Koopmeiners kept in reserve. No injuries listed, so this is a straight selection call.

Graham Potter's Sweden line up in a 3-1-4-2, with Jesper Karlstrom sitting in front of the back three to screen and allow the wing-backs to push high. Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak form a front two with genuine Premier League quality. Lucas Bergvall starts on the bench, which is a notable omission.

The key matchup is Isak and Gyokeres against Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke. Sweden's front two will look to exploit any space behind a Dutch line that presses high. Van Dijk's reading of the game against Gyokeres's raw power is the contest that could define the afternoon in Houston.

Netherlands

(4-3-3)

Coach: Ronald Koeman

1Bart VerbruggenG
22Denzel DumfriesD
4Virgil van DijkD
6Jan Paul van HeckeD
15Micky van de VenD
8Ryan GravenberchM
21Frenkie de JongM
14Tijjani ReijndersM
18Donyell MalenF
19Brian BrobbeyF
11Cody GakpoF

Subs: Mark Flekken, Robin Roefs, Jorrel Hato, Nathan Aké, Lutsharel Geertruida, Mats Wieffer, Guus Til, Justin Kluivert, Marten de Roon, Teun Koopmeiners, Crysencio Summerville, Memphis Depay, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst

Sweden

(3-1-4-2)

Coach: Graham Potter

23Kristoffer NordfeldtG
2Gustaf LagerbielkeD
4Isak HienD
3Victor LindelöfD
16Jesper KarlströmM
21Alexander BernhardssonM
10Benjamin NygrenM
18Yasin AyariM
5Gabriel GudmundssonM
17Viktor GyökeresF
9Alexander IsakF

Subs: Jacob Widell Zetterström, Viktor Johansson, Carl Starfelt, Hjalmar Ekdal, Eric Smith, Besfort Zeneli, Daniel Svensson, Elliot Stroud, Herman Johansson, Ken Sema, Lucas Bergvall, Mattias Svanberg, Taha Abdi Ali, Anthony Elanga, Gustaf Nilsson

How We Previewed It

Netherlands arrive at NRG Stadium on Saturday evening knowing that anything short of a win leaves their tournament in a precarious state before it has properly begun, with Sweden having already demonstrated they can score freely.

The table tells a blunt story. Sweden top Group F after a 5-1 opening victory that announced them as serious contenders, while the Dutch sit third on a single point following a 2-2 draw in their opener. Japan, directly above them on goal difference, also have one point. With Tunisia yet to register a point, the bottom of the group is already taking shape, but the race for the top two is wide open.

The head-to-head record offers the Dutch a sliver of comfort. In their two previous meetings on record, Netherlands won one and drew the other, with a 2-0 victory in October 2017 the more recent result. Sweden are yet to beat them in this fixture. Whether that counts for anything against a side that just put five past their opening opponents is a different matter.

Both squads report no fresh absences, which means each manager has a full hand to play and no ready-made excuses. The Dutch will need their midfield to impose itself against a Swedish side that, on the evidence of matchday one, can hurt teams at pace and in numbers. Netherlands have the individual quality to change a game; the question is whether they can function as a cohesive unit under the pressure of needing a result.

Sweden, for their part, have every reason to sit compact, absorb, and punish on the counter, a strategy their opening performance suggests suits them well. A point would still leave them in strong shape heading into the final group game, though they showed no sign of being content to merely manage a scoreline when they had a team at their mercy.

The data leans towards a split outcome: home win at 10 per cent, with draw and Sweden victory level at 45 per cent each, and the combination of a Swedish result with more than 2.5 goals in the match flagged as the advised angle. For Netherlands, those numbers amount to a warning. Three points here are not just preferable, they are essential.

By the Football IQ Sports Desk. Reports are generated from verified match data and corrected as final statistics settle.