Cody Gakpo's Faith and Unity as Netherlands Face Sweden

Cody Gakpo leans on faith as Netherlands brace for Sweden test

In the heat of a Texan World Cup, Cody Gakpo says the Netherlands are turning to something deeper than tactics and data: faith.

On Saturday in Houston, Ronald Koeman’s side walk into a must-win clash against Group F leaders Sweden, a game that already feels like a referendum on their tournament. A 2-2 draw with a sharp, fearless Japan in Arlington has left the three-time runners-up under strain far earlier than they expected.

Prayer circle in Oranje

At their base in Kansas City, Gakpo revealed that a Christian prayer group has quietly grown into a core part of the squad’s inner life. Around 11 or 12 players, he said, regularly come together to pray and talk about faith, and the Liverpool winger often leads those moments.

“We have high hopes for ourselves,” Gakpo said, sounding anything but weighed down by the pressure of the group situation. “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 prayer group, he explained, is not a side show. It is part of the glue.

“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 that shared belief is strengthening the squad at a time when unity matters most.

“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 stretches beyond training and matchday routines, into how they live together during a long tournament.

“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 team whose World Cup history is littered with glorious near-misses and internal tension, that kind of cohesion might be as valuable as any tactical tweak.

Sweden’s firepower and a familiar face

There is no time for soul-searching without edge. Sweden are coming.

Graham Potter’s side opened their campaign by tearing Tunisia apart 5-1, their attack living up to the hype. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres head a front line that looks capable of dismantling anyone in the group.

Gakpo knows one of those threats better than most. Isak, his Liverpool teammate, arrives at this World Cup with something to prove after a disrupted first season at Anfield, where a major ankle injury and fibula fracture kept him out for most of the campaign before a late return.

“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.”

That warning is not empty. Isak’s movement, his ability to drop off, spin in behind or combine in tight spaces, will test a Dutch defence that already wobbled against Japan.

Leaving Liverpool’s struggles behind

For Gakpo personally, this World Cup offers a clean break from a bruising club season. Liverpool’s campaign ended in disappointment and the dismissal of manager Arne Slot, a year that drained momentum at Anfield and left little anyone wanted to relive.

“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 reset is crucial. In orange, Gakpo is not the symbol of a misfiring season; he is one of the players expected to drag the Netherlands through a dangerous group. The mood in camp, he insists, remains positive despite the early stumble.

The stage is now clear. Houston, Sweden, and a Dutch side trying to marry tactical discipline with spiritual steel.

If the Netherlands are to stay alive in this World Cup, the unity Gakpo talks about will have to show where it matters most: under the floodlights, with everything on the line.