Cody Gakpo's Faith and the Netherlands' Challenge Against Sweden

Cody Gakpo leans on faith as Netherlands face defining Sweden test

In the heat of a Texas summer and the glare of a World Cup already threatening to turn on them, the Netherlands have turned to something beyond tactics and team meetings.

They have turned to prayer.

Cody Gakpo revealed that a Christian prayer group inside Ronald Koeman’s squad has become a quiet anchor for a team under growing strain ahead of a must-win clash with Group F leaders Sweden in Houston on Saturday.

“We have high hopes for ourselves,” the Liverpool forward said at the Dutch base in Kansas City. “I think we feel that we have a good group, and at the end we have to show it on the pitch and obviously go through in the group stage, and then push on.”

The words are optimistic. The context is not.

Pressure after a stuttering start

The Netherlands, three-time World Cup runners-up, have already stumbled. A 2-2 draw with an impressive Japan side in Arlington left them chasing the group rather than controlling it. The performance raised questions; the table raised the stakes.

Sweden, by contrast, arrived in the United States looking dangerous and have wasted no time proving it. Graham Potter’s side, fronted by the formidable pairing of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, tore Tunisia apart 5-1 in their opener. Goals, movement, confidence – all the things the Dutch are still searching for over 90 complete minutes.

That gap in early momentum is precisely why Gakpo and a core of his teammates have sought something deeper.

A growing circle of faith

Gakpo explained that a group of 11 or 12 players meet regularly to pray and talk about faith, a routine that has grown in size and importance as the tournament has begun to tighten around them.

“We often end up in conversations in which we talk about faith and I'm often one of those who leads the prayer,” he said. “But everyone has their own role and their own contribution.”

The 27-year-old believes those gatherings are doing more than offering personal comfort. They are binding the squad in a way that team talks cannot.

“I think the group of guys is getting bigger and bigger. And I think it also brings a certain cohesion, of course,” he said. “Also outside of football, obviously, to get along well with each other. But also just to give each other strength, in moments like these when we really have to be there for each other.

“And that we can form a unity together. Not only on the pitch, but also outside it.”

In a tournament defined by fine margins and fragile momentum, that sense of unity may prove as valuable as any tactical tweak Koeman draws up on the whiteboard.

Facing a familiar threat

If the Dutch are to steady themselves, they must first survive a Sweden attack that has already announced itself. And for Gakpo, one of the main threats is painfully familiar.

Alexander Isak, his Liverpool teammate, is the man Koeman’s back line must somehow subdue. The striker endured a brutal first season at Anfield after a big-money move from Newcastle, losing most of the campaign to an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, but finished strongly and has carried that form into the World Cup.

“Special player, and we were very happy that he returned (from injury),” Gakpo said. “And at the end, I think he was fit, he scored some goals, and he played well.

“And obviously he started the tournament very well with his performance. And I think everybody knows how good a player he is, so we have to look (out for) him.”

Isak’s sharpness, Gyokeres’ power, and Sweden’s new edge under Potter combine to form the most serious test yet of the Dutch resolve – both tactical and mental.

Leaving Liverpool behind

For Gakpo, this World Cup is also a chance to step out from under the shadow of a bruising club season. Liverpool’s campaign ended in disappointment and cost manager Arne Slot his job, a collapse that still hangs heavy over Anfield.

“Last season at Liverpool is not something a lot of people want to look back on, I think, unfortunately,” Gakpo admitted. “But that's just football as well. And we just have to move on. Here it's obviously a completely different environment, it's a completely different team.”

That reset is vital. With the national side, Gakpo is no longer part of a club in turmoil but a senior figure in a dressing room trying to rediscover the steel and swagger that once defined Dutch tournament football.

The stakes are clear. Lose to Sweden, and the Netherlands’ World Cup could be tilting towards another tale of what-might-have-been. Win, and the draw with Japan becomes a stumble rather than a slide.

In Houston, under the floodlights and the pressure, Koeman will rely on his system, his stars, and his bench.

Gakpo and his teammates will add something else – a huddle, a prayer, and the belief that unity, in this moment, can still turn a faltering start into a deep run.