The Netherlands routed Sweden to claim their first win at the 2026 North America World Cup.
The Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 in their Group F second-round match at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Saturday (Korea time), powered by multi-goals from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.
After settling for a 2-2 draw with Asian powerhouse Japan in their opening match, the Netherlands took their first win of the tournament at Sweden's expense and moved into first place in the group with four points. The Netherlands, three-time World Cup runners-up, are chasing their first title.
According to sports media outlet ESPN, the victory also set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history at 14 matches.
Since losing 0-1 in the final of the 2010 South Africa tournament, the Netherlands have recorded 10 wins and four draws in 14 World Cup finals matches through Saturday. The four draws, however, include penalty shootout losses to Argentina in both the 2014 Brazil tournament semifinals and the 2022 Qatar tournament quarterfinals. Penalty shootouts are officially recorded as draws. The Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2018 Russia tournament.
The previous longest unbeaten record before the Netherlands was 13 matches, set by Brazil between 1958 and 1966.
With the loss, Sweden fell to one win and one loss and dropped one spot to second place in the group with three points. They could fall to third depending on the result of the following Japan-Tunisia match.
Sweden's striker duo of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, who both scored to lead a 5-1 rout in their first match against Tunisia, started again but their attacks fell silent.
The Netherlands sensed victory by pulling far ahead behind Brobbey's first-half multi-goals. After finishing off Gakpo's ground cross with a right-footed one-touch strike just five minutes in for the opening goal, Brobbey scored again 12 minutes later, stretching out his right foot while falling to meet a cross delivered from the right by Denzel Dumfries.
Gakpo continued the Netherlands' goal feast in the second half. The Netherlands created their third goal with another sharp cross. Two minutes into the second half, Gakpo, charging in, got his foot on a cross from the right by Dumfries to split the net.
Seven minutes later, Gakpo nimbly beat a defender on the left side of the goal area and fired a right-footed shot to make it 4-0.
In the 14th minute of the second half, on a counterattack, Anthony Elanga received a pass from Isak, used his pace to shake off three defenders and finished with a left-footed shot to pull one back for Sweden.
But they could not score again. Instead, in the 44th minute of the second half, the Netherlands' Crysencio Summerville fired a sharp right-footed shot from near the penalty arc to add another goal, leaving Sweden to swallow a comprehensive defeat.
