Netherlands vs Sweden LIVE: Team news and updates from Group F clash

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

… is a familiar name to anyone who follows the Premier League: Michael Oliver.

By its very nature, the World Cup is destined to be described in terms of the best. There is an argument, though, that it is determined by the least worst. Or, to put it another way, by who has the strongest weak link. Go by weak link theory and the tournament will not be decided by Lionel Messi or Harry Kane or Kylian Mbappe; each can be called his team’s finest player. But the 11th name on the teamsheet might be the most important.

Especially because, in international football, there is an ever-present risk the worst player is worse than in the elite club sides. Without a transfer market, without the option of importing anyone, then, even in the diaspora World Cup, national team managers are picking from a limited talent pool.

All of the contenders have their flaws – including the two sides we’re about to watch.

The first ever 48-team World Cup features an additional round of 32, offering the world’s top strikers an additional opportunity of bagging an extra goal as they dream of embarking on a deep run into the tournament.

If players are tied for goals, the number of assists will determine who ranks higher. If there is still a tie, it comes down to minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio.

Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings.

6pm – Netherlands vs Sweden (Group F)

9pm – Germany vs Ivory Coast (Group E)

1am – Ecuador vs Curacao (Group E)

5am – Tunisia vs Japan (Group F)

Anyone UK viewers planning on staying up and ticking them all off??

In 2010, Netherlands reached their third World Cup final, where they were heartbroken for the third time as well.

That defeat by Spain was avenged in a 5-1 thrashing in Netherlands’ 2014 opener, however, en route to a semi-final penalty loss to eventual runners-up Argentina.

2018 marked a major disappointment, though, as Netherlands failed to qualify for the World Cup at all.

2022 then brought another penalty loss to Argentina, this time in the quarter-finals – but after a spirited fightback in which the Dutch came from 2-0 down, scoring in the 83rd minute and 11 minutes into added time.

If Netherlands were to draw today, they’d be in a precarious position ahead of their final group game with Tunisia.

If they lost, though…? That would mark real danger for Ronald Koeman’s men.

Of course, though, they’d be helped by the rule that the eight best third-placed teams advance.

Still, a win today would almost certainly take them through with a minimum of 4 points by the end of the group stage.

Sticking on Graham Potter, here’s an interview with the coach from our own part-Swede, Lawrence Ostlere:

A few minutes after the final whistle blew on the play-off final, euphoria still coursing through his veins, Sweden manager Graham Potter gathered his players around him. “Look at this, this is a f*****g team,” he said, pointing at them, before breaking into a broad grin. “And we’re going to the f*****g World Cup, baby!”

Perhaps it was just a throw away line while high on football’s most potent drug, the World Cup. But Potter’s choice of words offered an insight into the unique task of being an international manager, particularly his task. The Swedish FA gave him one job: ‘Get us to the World Cup’.

Potter was jubilant after his Sweden side beat Tunisia but also appeared to have picked up an injury over the course of the match, as he was pictured bleeding from his right ear.

“I don’t know what happened. Someone scratched me, or bit me. I’ll have to analyse the video footage,” he joked, via Swedish publication Sportbladet.