Find out where to watch, team news, ticket and stadium information and much more on this crunch clash in Group F at Houston Stadium.
Group F
Sunday, 21 June | Houston Stadium
Kick-off time
01:00 (GMT+8)
The match
European sides Netherlands and Sweden continue their respective FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaigns with a showdown in the Lone Star State. The Dutch are fresh off their opening match against Japan, which ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw, while the Swedes bagged a handful of goals in a 5-1 defeat of Tunisia before heading to Texas.
The Netherlands overwhelmed opposition in qualifying to punch their ticket to the global finals, cruising to a first place finish in their group, while Sweden overcame a pair of play-off hurdles in the form of Ukraine and Poland to book their place.
Netherlands possible starting XI
Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; De Jong, Reijnders, Gravenberch; Summerville, Malen, Gakpo
Sweden possible starting XI
Nordfeldt; Johansson, Lindelof, Starfelt, Gudmundsson; Elanga, Ayari, Karlstrom, Sema; Isak, Gyokeres
What they said…
“It’s tough, of course, playing against a nation with so many great players. But you have to step in the pitch knowing you have to get the result. How do I prepare? As always. You don’t think that it’s against a greater nation, but you have to prepare in the same manner.” Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach
“We came through the playoffs, and that gave us confidence. We know that we need to improve. It’s less about dream but about how we can get better. Tunisia was a good victory, but, with all due respect, we are going against a higher level opponent. We are not in the place to dream. If we are not right, together, at our best, we can lose any game of football.”
Houston Stadium
A host of the MLS All-Star game, national team fixtures of both USA and Mexico, as well as three games at the Copa America Centenario in 2016, Houston Stadium has plenty of football pedigree and will surely gather more ahead of 2026. Opened in 2002, the ground, which is also home to the famous Houston Rodeo, has a retractable roof and is famed for its ‘Bull Pen’ section, which houses the loudest section of NFL side Houston Texans’ home support. Houston Stadium will host seven matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, including two games in the knockout phase.