The Netherlands face Morocco tonight in the World Cup round of 32, with kick-off at 2am BST on Tuesday June 30, 2026 at Monterrey Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on ITV.
Netherlands' World Cup Journey So Far
The Oranje have never won football's biggest tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010. They were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina on penalties after a pulsating quarter-final showdown at Qatar 2022. This edition, the Netherlands have reached the last 32 as Group F winners after beating Sweden 5-1 and Tunisia 3-1, following an opening 2-2 draw with Japan.
Key Players and Selection Decisions
Ronald Koeman's side boast plenty of Premier League talent, including Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, alongside new Tottenham team-mates Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke. Sunderland's Brian Brobbey was drafted into the attack against Sweden to replace Crysencio Summerville, despite the West Ham star scoring against Japan. Brobbey repaid his manager's faith, scoring a double in the first 17 minutes of that thumping victory. The 23-year-old also started and netted against Tunisia, so is likely to retain his place here.
Cody Gakpo has made himself available for the game, days after his wife announced the tragic loss of their son during pregnancy. Summerville may return to the starting lineup, while Donyell Malen is set to start on the right wing again. The Netherlands' all-time leading scorer, Memphis Depay, has come off the bench in all three games so far after recovering from an injury and is yet to score.
Midfield and Defence
Gravenberch, Frenkie de Jong and Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders look set to continue as Koeman's first-choice midfield trio. Van de Ven was replaced by City's Nathan Ake at left-back against Tunisia, but was likely rested rather than dropped. Van Hecke and Van Dijk are a settled centre-back partnership, with the new Spurs signing completing the most passes (61) into the final third of any player during the group stage, ahead of Portugal star Vitinha (43) in second. New Real Madrid signing Denzel Dumfries is a lock at right-back for the Dutch, while Koeman favours Brighton's Bart Verbruggen in goal over Sunderland rival Robin Roefs and ex-Brentford stopper Mark Flekken.
Predicted Netherlands XI
Predicted Netherlands XI (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Van de Ven; Gravenberch, De Jong, Reijnders; Summerville, Brobbey, Malen
