The third all-European group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, out of four, features the Netherlands vs Sweden. Both of these teams have played World Cup finals, but couldn’t touch the golden trophy.
Sweden appeared in the FIFA World Cup Final three times (in 2010, 1978, and 1974). The latest appearance was against Spain in South Africa. Iniesta’s only goal made them runner-up and Spain champion for the first time in Spain’s history. The other two times Argentina beat them (1978, 3-1) and West Germany (1974, 2-1).
Sweden played the final once against Brazil on their home soil. Sweden’s defeat came with a 5-2 loss against Brazil’s first World Cup title. That is the highest-scoring final of all time in World Cup History.
Netherlands vs Sweden Head-to-Head Records
Both teams have met 20 times in their history. The latest came in 2017 in the World Cup 2018 qualifier. The Swedes were on the losing side, thanks to Arjen Robben’s two goals, which put them apart.
Sweden has won seven matches, where Dutch took the victory nine times in the 20 meetings. The last win of Sweden came 15 years ago, when they booked a place for Euro 2012. The scoreline was 3-2.
This is the second time they are facing each other in the highest stage of football. The last time they met was back in 1974, which ended as a 0-0 draw.
World Cup 2026 Form
Sweden must be confident before meeting the Oranje’s as they started their World Cup with a 5-1 victory against Tunisia. However, Netherlands drew against Japan (2-2) in their opening match.
There were four goal scorers (Mattias SVANBERG, Viktor GYOKERES, Alexander Isak, and Yasin AYARI) of Sweden, which clearly states they are not dependent on any single individual. Isak had three goal contributions, highest after H. Larsson in the World Cup 2002 (also three).
The dutch kept the lead of one goal till the 88th minute, when they were looking to get away with three points against the Asian giant Japan. However, Daichi KAMADA scored the equaliser on the last moment to divide the points. All the goals came in the second half.
Match Schedule
- Date: June 20, 2026
- Time: 1 p.m. (local time)
- Venue: Houston Stadium
Where to Watch
In the United States Telemundo and FOX will broadcast live. However to stream, you have to go for Peacock and Fubo.
Group F Standings
| Position | Team | PTS | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| 2 | Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Tunisia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 |
Predicted Lineup and Formation
Netherlands (4-3-3)
Manager: Ronald Koeman
Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen, Denzel Dumfries, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Ryan Gravenberch, Frenkie de Jong, Tijjani Reijnders, Crysencio Summerville, Donyell Malen, Cody Gakpo
Sweden (3-1-4-2)
Manager: Graham Potter
Sweden: Kalle Nordfeldt, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Isak Hien, Victor Lindelöf, Jesper Karlström, Anton Bernhardsson, Yasin Ayari, Benjamin Nygren, Emil Stroud, Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak
Netherlands vs Sweden Prediction
The Netherlands looks like the better side comparing the two sides, as they have some big names. However, players like Gyökeres, Isak, or Ayari could be dangerous on their day. We have run 30,000 simulations for this match, and the prediction is below:
| Result | Percentage |
| Sweden win | 43.12% |
| Netherlands win | 34.57% |
| Draw | 22.31% |
Most common score: 1-1 at 9.59%.