Overview
De Kuip will witness the competition in Group G of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe when the Netherlands host Poland. Both teams have 6 points, but the Netherlands still have 1 match left to play. Meanwhile, this is the debut of the new coach on the Polish side.
Without giving up against weak opponent Malta in the second match of the World Cup qualifiers, the Netherlands destroyed the world's top-ranked team with a score of 8-0. They have had 6 different players score at Groningen.
Memphis Depay and Donyell Malen both scored twice, while Tottenham Hotspur players Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons also contributed. Virgil van Dijk and Noa Lang were the remaining players to make the scoreboard at Euroborg.
Malta's heavy defeat extended the perfect start for coach Ronald Koeman and his team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Before that, Oranje beat Finland 2-0 and currently has the most impressive record in Group G.
With 2 wins, scoring 10 goals and conceding no goals, the Netherlands started the qualifying campaign in the most perfect way. The victories in June are a necessary boost for this already unstable team.
Notably, the last two wins have also balanced the number of wins that the Netherlands have achieved in their previous 9 appearances in all competitions.
Before that, Oranje had to work very hard to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League, and was eliminated by Spain on penalties. In the World Cup qualifiers, the last time the Netherlands had to taste defeat was in March 2021.
On the contrary, Poland only needs to look back at June to see the most recent defeat in the World Cup qualifiers. The perfect start of the "White Vultures" ended disappointingly against the current leader, Finland.
In the first two qualifying matches, Poland beat Lithuania and Malta, then continued to defeat Moldova in a friendly match before the away trip to Helsinki. However, goals from Joel Pohjanpalo and Benjamin Kallman sank Poland in Sc Sc Sc Sc Scography.
Jakub Kiwior's 69th minute goal was only a consolation in a 1-2 defeat. This match also ended Michal Probierz's term as head coach. Currently, Poland is entering the transition period under the leadership of Jan Urban, a former player who played for this national team at the 1986 World Cup.
Urban was an assistant coach for the Polish national team at EURO 2008, but at the age of 63, he has only officially entered the harsh environment of international football. His first task is certainly to reconcile his relationship with Robert Lewandowski.
The Barcelona veteran striker once voluntarily left the national team after Probierz deprived him of the captain's armband. However, Urban quickly handed over the captain's armband to Lewandowski.
Personnel situation
Koeman cannot call up Liverpool's new signing, Jeremie Frimpong, due to a hamstring injury. However, the Netherlands still has a strong enough squad for the September international series, despite striker Depay (Corinthians) being absent and missing the historic moment.
The former Manchester United striker has scored 50 goals for the national team. He only needed one more goal to overcome Robin van Persie, becoming the greatest striker in the history of the Netherlands.
For Poland, the greatest striker in history and also the most capped player - Lewandowski - has returned after Probierz's departure. However, he has not had much playing time this season due to a muscle injury.
Lewandowski has only played for 26 minutes in La Liga 2025-2026. Therefore, Urban can consider a safe attack with alternatives such as Karol Swiderski, Adam Buksa or Krzysztof Piatek.
Expected lineup:
Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, De Jong, Gravenberch, Reijnders, Simons, Depay, Gakpo.
Poland: Skorupski, Bednarek, Kedziora, Kiwior, Cash, Zielinski, Szymanski, S yourself, Zalewski, Lewandowski, Piatek.
The match between the Netherlands and Poland takes place at 1:45 am on September 5 (Vietnam time).
