It's the big fixture in Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with the Netherlands taking on Sweden on Saturday in Houston.
Sweden are coming into the fixture with momentum on their side after an impressive 5-1 victory over Tunisia. The strike partnership of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres worked wonders and Yasin Ayari also proved to be a handful.
Meanwhile, the Dutch scored the goals but didn't get the win against Japan as the match ended in a 2-2 draw. It was an entertaining match, especially in the second half with Virgil van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scoring the goals for the Netherlands.
A win for Sweden will guarantee a place in the next round. For Netherlands, a loss will not quite be the end but they will want to build the winning momentum going forward.
Here's everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch:
The match will be available on BBC in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
U.S. ET: 1 p.m.. Saturday, June 20
UK BST: 6 p.m., Saturday, June 20
India IST: 10:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20
Australia AEST: 3 a.m., Sunday, June 21
Venue: Houston Stadium
Referee: Michael Oliver
Team News
Netherlands XI: Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Van Hecke; De Jong, Reijnders, Gravenberch; Gakpo, Malen, Brobbey.
Sweden XI: Nordfelt; Lagerbielke, Hien, Lindelof; Bernhardsson, Nygren, Karlstrom, Ayari, Gudmundsson; Isak, Gyokeres
Talking Points
Van Dijk vs. Isak
The Liverpool teammates will be out in the middle, this time as opponents as both will look to best each other in a crucial encounter. The 34-year-old Van Dijk is still among the elite centre-backs of the world and the Dutch depend on him to hold the defense as well as on his leadership. He might not have had a great season with Liverpool but he's still a solid defender with added threat on set-pieces, like he showed against Japan. There's a reason why he still played 55 games for Liverpool this season.
Van Dijk will look to disrupt the deadly combination of Isak and Gyökeres. Isak, who came to Liverpool after a record transfer deal, barely made any impact with injuries keeping him out for most of the games in the season. It was not an ideal first season for him with his club team also struggling for consistency. However, he ensured he remained fit for the World Cup and his effectiveness was on display against Tunisia with a goal and an assist to his name.
The Dutch will present a bigger test than Tunisia, and Isak knows that if he can continue the form in this game as well, Sweden can go deeper in the tournament. In the past, when Isak played for Newcastle, he did have his moments where he came out on top against Van Dijk.
Koeman needs to tap into his team's strength
There's no doubt that the Dutch squad is very much capable of playing a high intensity style and with more vertical movement of the ball. This is a team that has the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Denzel Dumfries, Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville, who play for some of the best attacking teams in Europe. However, it feels that Ronald Koeman doesn't really tap into the strengths of his team.
Against Japan, the Dutch were too passive and sideways. They tried to protect a one-goal lead by focusing on keeping the ball but ended up conceding in the end after failing to deal with Japan's energy. Koeman needs to be more positive with his team and the aim should be more goals. It's unlikely that he will change his entire philosophy, but he needs to add more energy against a Sweden team who have the attackers to punish them if they go into a shell.