Netherlands break insane World Cup record that looked destined to stand ...

Netherlands break insane World Cup record that looked destined to stand forever Netherlands now officially hold the record for the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history following their 5-1 thrashing of Sweden on Saturday evening. Goals from Brian Brobbey (2), Cody Gakpo (2) and Crysencio Summerville helped Ronald Koeman’s side claim a vital win, with Anthony Elanga’s 59th minute goal proving to be nothing but a consolation, and they are now all but qualified for the round of 32. Netherlands will finish third in Group F if they lose to Tunisia by a significant margin and Japan suffer a smaller defeat versus Sweden, however they are still essentially guaranteed qualification thanks to their tally of four points from their opening two fixtures. Furthermore, in the process of beating Sweden on Saturday, Netherlands usurped Brazil to set a new record of 14 games unbeaten in the World Cup. Previously, it was thought that Brazil’s record of 13 matches unbeaten between 1958 and 1966 would be impossible to beat, but Netherlands haven’t suffered a World Cup defeat since losing the 2010 final to Spain and they are now the record holders. Penalty shootout losses count as draws in the record books, thanks to the fact the scores are level after 120 minutes, and Netherlands have won nine matches and drawn five of their 14 World Cup games since their narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain in South Africa. In the 2014 tournament, they were knocked out by Argentina in the semi-finals after a 4-2 penalty shootout loss, while they failed to qualify entirely for Russia 2018. Last time out, in 2022, they once again lost to Argentina, with the eventual winners prevailing 4-3 in a quarter-final penalty shootout. Despite this incredible unbeaten record, Netherlands are still yet to win the World Cup, despite having reached the final on three occasions to date. All SIX goals from the Netherlands' clash with Sweden! 👊 pic.twitter.com/JGK38DlOVK — Match of the Day (@broadcasterMOTD) June 20, 2026 What has Ronald Koeman said? Speaking after his side’s 5-1 win on Saturday, Koeman told reporters: “It could be that the way we play builds confidence. Of course there was a lot of pressure on the team, especially because of the draw because of the first game, but now we have slightly more peace of mind with four months. “There is one game within the group phase, and you can build on what happened now. That was really good. Other teams know we can be dangerous.” Netherlands are currently top of Group F, narrowly ahead of Japan by virtue of goals scored, and they are the eighth favourites to win the World Cup with the bookmakers.