Cody Gakpo's Faith as Netherlands Prepares for Sweden Showdown
In the heat of a World Cup group stage that already feels unforgiving, Cody Gakpo is drawing strength from somewhere beyond tactics and team meetings.
The Netherlands, three-time runners-up and under scrutiny after a chaotic 2-2 draw with Japan in Arlington, are staring at a must-win showdown with Group F leaders Sweden in Houston on Saturday. Pressure is not creeping up on them; it is already here.
Inside the Dutch camp, though, Gakpo says something quieter is holding the squad together – a Christian prayer group that has grown in size and influence as the tournament has begun to bite.
“We have high hopes for ourselves,” the Liverpool winger said at the team’s 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.”
That belief is not just built on game plans. Gakpo revealed that a core of 11 or 12 players meet regularly to pray and talk about faith, a routine he believes is knitting the squad into something more resilient.
“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.”
The 27-year-old can feel the circle widening.
“I think the group of guys is getting bigger and bigger. And I think it also brings a certain cohesion, of course,” he said. It is not just about what happens between the white lines. “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.”
That unity will be tested by a Sweden side that has arrived at this World Cup at full tilt. Under Graham Potter, the Scandinavians looked sharp and ruthless in their opening 5-1 demolition of Tunisia, powered by a front line that would trouble any defence: Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres.
For Gakpo, there is an added twist. One of the main threats comes from a familiar face.
He knows exactly what Isak can do. The Liverpool forward endured a brutal first season at Anfield after a big-money move from Newcastle, missing most of the campaign with an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, before finally returning late in the season. Gakpo watched that struggle up close – and the resurgence.
“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 warning is clear: give Isak a yard, and he will take the night.
If Sweden arrive with momentum, the Netherlands bring baggage. The draw with Japan, in which Ronald Koeman’s side twice let control slip, has reopened familiar questions about consistency and composure on the biggest stage. This is not a team that can drift through the group.
Gakpo, though, is determined to treat this World Cup as a reset, particularly after a bruising club season.
“Last season at Liverpool is not something a lot of people want to look back on, I think, unfortunately,” he admitted. The campaign ended with the sacking of manager Arne Slot, a jarring conclusion to a year that never really settled.
“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.”
Different colours, different expectations, same demand: deliver now.
For Koeman, the equation is simple. Contain Sweden’s firepower, sharpen the Dutch edge in both boxes, and the group opens up again. Fail, and the path narrows quickly for a nation that still measures itself against the highest standards, even after years of fluctuation.
Inside the camp, Gakpo and his teammates will keep gathering, heads bowed, looking for calm before the storm in Houston. Soon enough, the prayers will stop, the whistle will blow, and the Netherlands will discover whether their bond holds when Sweden come running at them.
