Netherlands v Sweden: 2026 World Cup Prediction

On Saturday evening, the whole country will come to a standstill as the Netherlands national team plays their second match at the 2026 World Cup. Following the 2-2 draw against Japan, Sweden are the next opponents. Will the Netherlands live up to their role as favourites against the team that made such an impression in their match against Tunisia? We’ll tell you more about the Oranje’s match and give you our Netherlands v Sweden prediction.

Betting at Oranje Palace

Nothing beats following the Netherlands at the World Cup. Every match sends the country into a frenzy. And yet there’s a way to enjoy even more excitement. Betting on the Dutch national team at Oranje Palace offers the chance to bet at attractive odds. So you could be in with a chance of some very attractive winnings.

Are you new to Oranje Palace and signing up for an account? If so, you can choose to bet at odds of 50.00 if the Netherlands win. What’s more, this offer isn’t a one-off: you can take advantage of this opportunity again during every group stage match involving the Netherlands. And if the Netherlands get through the group stage successfully, there will hopefully be plenty more opportunities in the knockout stages.

Netherlands v Sweden preview

Is the Netherlands fully fired up to secure its first victory at the 2026 World Cup? In terms of squad strength, the Netherlands definitely has the upper hand, although we all know that Sweden’s star strikers could well throw a spanner in the works. Read on for a brief overview of both teams.

Current Form & Team News

The Netherlands

Despite Japan’s late 2-2 equaliser against the Netherlands, all is calm in the Dutch camp. And that’s actually quite an achievement in itself, given that the criticism at home, as always, is certainly not kind. Koeman is facing a lot of criticism for his substitution policy, whilst Memphis Depay also seems to have lost his touch. Fortunately, we have Virgil van Dijk, a formidable header of the ball, and the attack – featuring Donyell Malen, Cody Gakpo and Crysensio Summerville – consistently poses a threat. Will they manage to do the same against Sweden? And will they capitalise on this threat with a goal?

Sweden

Sweden surprised everyone – friends and foes alike – by beating Tunisia 5–1. With goals from top strikers Victor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, amongst others, it was plain sailing for Graham Potter’s side. Nevertheless, a match against the Netherlands is in a different league for the Scandinavians too. If Sweden pick up a point, they will be certain of progressing to the next round of the 2026 World Cup. The question, then, is: will they sit back and wait for their chance? Or will they go all out on the attack, just as they did against the North Africans?

Head-to-Head

Whilst we’ll see many matches at the 2026 World Cup between nations that have never met before, this isn’t the case for the Netherlands v Sweden. Both nations have, in fact, played each other 24 (!) times. Both the Netherlands and Sweden have won this fixture eight times, which automatically means there have been eight draws. In short, the Netherlands and Sweden are completely in balance. Incidentally, the last international match took place on 11 October 2017. On that occasion, the Netherlands won 2–0 in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Expected line-ups

Netherlands (4–3–3)

Verbruggen, Van de Ven, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Dumfries, De Jong, Gravenberch, Reijnders, Gakpo, Malen, Summerville

Sweden (3-5-2)

Nordfeldt, Lindelof, Hien, Lagerbielke, Gudmundsson, Ayari, Karlstrom, Bernhardsson, Isak, Gyökeres, Elanga

Netherlands v Sweden betting tips

Betting tip 1: Over 0.5 shots on target – Virgil van Dijk

We saw against Japan that Virgil van Dijk is always a threat when he’s in the opposition’s penalty area. That’s hardly surprising, as the towering captain has tremendous heading ability. We expect the Netherlands to dominate, attacking frequently and consequently winning plenty of set-pieces. Given that the Netherlands’ number four always pushes forward, we’re backing Big Virg to have at least one shot on target. This will earn you odds of 3.50.

Betting tip 2: Both teams to score – YES

Of course, Sweden impressed in their first group match, but ultimately the Netherlands have a much stronger squad. That’s one of the reasons why we’re backing a win for ‘our’ Oranje. We do, however, think Sweden will score as well. The Dutch have been conceding goals easily, and Sweden have a formidable attack. It’s no coincidence that the Dutch have conceded at least one goal in each of their last five international matches. This leads to the following Bet Builder: Netherlands to win & Both teams to score – Yes. This gives you odds of 3.05.

Prediction: Netherlands v Sweden

** Final score: Netherlands 3–1 Sweden **
We expect the Oranje to hold their heads high and win this match convincingly. Sweden are a side who concede goals on a regular basis, but often manage to score themselves.