Cody Gakpo's Faith as Netherlands Prepares for Key Match Against Sweden
In the thick Texan heat and under the weight of expectation, the Netherlands are turning to something beyond tactics and training plans.
Cody Gakpo revealed that a Christian prayer group within the squad has become a quiet anchor for a team already staring at a pivotal moment in their World Cup campaign. A 2-2 draw with an impressive Japan in Arlington has left Ronald Koeman’s side under early pressure, and Saturday’s clash with Group F leaders Sweden in Houston already feels like a test of nerve as much as talent.
“We have high hopes for ourselves,” Gakpo said at the Dutch base in Kansas City. The words were calm, not defiant. “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 mood around the camp is not one of panic. Not yet. But the margins are shrinking.
Prayer circle at the heart of the squad
Behind the scenes, Gakpo has emerged as one of the figures binding the dressing room together. Around 11 or 12 players now meet regularly to pray, a routine that has taken on added meaning as the stakes rise.
“We often end up in conversations in which we talk about faith and I'm often one of those who leads the prayer,” he explained. “But everyone has their own role and their own contribution.”
It is not a grand gesture, more a steadying ritual. The 27-year-old believes the group has grown both in number and importance.
“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.”
For a nation that has reached three World Cup finals but never lifted the trophy, unity has often been the missing ingredient. This version of the Netherlands is trying to build it in quieter ways.
Sweden’s firepower and a familiar threat
There will be nothing quiet about Sweden. Graham Potter’s side opened with a statement, dismantling Tunisia 5-1 and announcing themselves as early pacesetters. Their attack, led by Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, looks ruthless and confident.
Gakpo knows at least one of those threats all too well. Isak, his Liverpool teammate, 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. He returned late, sharper with each appearance, and has carried that form into this tournament.
“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.”
The respect is clear. So is the warning. Give Isak space in Houston and the Netherlands could pay heavily.
Leaving Liverpool’s turmoil behind
For Gakpo, this World Cup also offers a personal reset. His season at Liverpool unravelled along with the club’s campaign, ending in the dismissal of manager Arne Slot and a sense of collective underachievement.
“Last season at Liverpool is not something a lot of people want to look back on, I think, unfortunately,” he 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 separation matters. In Kansas City, there is no Anfield hangover, no Premier League table to glance at. Only Sweden, the group, and the noise building around a side that cannot afford another misstep.
The Netherlands have been here before at major tournaments: talented, scrutinised, and walking the line between promise and disappointment. This time, as they prepare for a must-win night in Houston, they will walk that line together – some with boots laced, some with heads bowed in prayer – knowing that cohesion now has to translate into results.
