Netherlands and Uzbekistan will clash at Icahn Stadium in New York on Monday in their final match before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Their football team X account went ahead to share posts about their final training session before
For the Dutch, the fixture represents one last opportunity to fine-tune preparations ahead of a tournament where they hope to finally lift the World Cup for the first time in their history. Under Ronald Koeman, Oranje will face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F.
The Netherlands head into the match after seeing their 10-game unbeaten run ended by Algeria, who secured a late victory thanks to a goal from Anis Hadj Moussa.
Netherlands officially released their 2026 FIFA World Cup squad in may 2026, with Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, and Virgil van Dijk leading a well‑balanced Dutch team heading to the tournament.
Uzbekistan, meanwhile, are preparing for their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance after finally ending years of near misses in qualification. The Central Asian nation will compete in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo.
Now coached by Fabio Cannavaro, the former World Cup-winning captain with Italy, Uzbekistan have lost only twice since the end of 2024 but were beaten 2-0 by co-hosts Canada in their most recent outing.
Captain Eldor Shomurodov will be eager to respond after missing key chances in that defeat.
With the World Cup just days away, both nations will view Monday’s encounter as a valuable opportunity to build momentum before the real action begins.
Team news
Both all-time top scorer Memphis Depay and key defender Jurrien Timber managed to overcome fitness issues to secure their spot in the Netherlands’ squad, which has still been impacted by injuries.
ACL victim Jerdy Schouten is joined on the sidelines by Matthijs de Ligt and Xavi Simons; veteran defender Stefan de Vrij was also left out, while Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong did not make the cut.
Against Algeria, Koeman was missing preferred right-backs Denzel Dumfries (suspended) and Timber, the latter of whom joined up late following Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final.
After filling in on Wednesday, Mats Wieffer may make way for Dumfries, who is reportedly set to join Real Madrid from Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan boss Cannavaro is likely to field a back five, with Manchester City star Abdukodir Khusanov at its heart.
Aside from the speedy centre-back, only ex-Roma forward Shomurodov – the White Wolves’ all-time top scorer with 44 goals – and his Istanbul Basaksehir teammate Abbosbek Fayzullaev play in Europe.
Most other squad members compete in the domestic league, as does left-back Ibrokhimkhalil Yuldoshev who was recently ruled out of the World Cup by injury.
Possible Lineups
Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Ake; De Jong, Gravenberch, Reijnders; Summerville, Depay, Gakpo
Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Sayfiev, Abdullaev, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev; Fayzullaev, Hamrobekov, Shukurov, Uronov; Shomurodov
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | DSTV Stream |
| Kick-off Time | 19:45 (WAT) |
Match predictions
Softfootball predicts Netherlands 2-0 Uzbekistan
They may be well organised, but Uzbekistan surely lack sufficient threat to cause a shock against the Netherlands, who have relative riches in attack.
