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Last Updated:June 21, 2026, 03:54 IST
Cody Gakpo has equalled Robin van Persie as Netherlands player with the most goals in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup (5).
Cody Gakpo equals Robin van Persie's record of most goals in group stage of FIFA World Cup for Netherlands. (Picture Credit: AP, AFP)
Liverpool star Cody Gakpo was named in the Netherlands’ starting XI for their FIFA World Cup Group F match against Sweden in Houston on Saturday (June 20) and he scored twice in the second half for Ronald Koeman’s side.
Gakpo scored his first goal, the Netherlands’ third of the match, at NRG Stadium two minutes after the restart (47th minute) and added another in the 54th minute.
The brace by the 27-year-old left winger in the Netherlands’ second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup helped him equal former striker Robin van Persie’s record for the most goals scored by a Dutch player in FIFA World Cup group-stage matches.
Most goals in group stage of FIFA World Cup for Netherlands
| PLAYER | GOALS | EDITIONS |
| Robin van Persie | 5 | 2006 (1), 2010 (1), 2014 (3) |
| Cody Gakpo | 5 | 2022 (3), 2026 (2) |
| Johnny Rep | 4 | 1974 (3), 1978 (1) |
| Rob Rensenbrink | 4 | 1978 (4) |
| Arjen Robben | 4 | 2006 (1), 2014 (3) |
| Johan Neeskens | 2 | 1974 (2) |
| Dennis Bergkamp | 2 | 1994 (1), 1998 (1) |
| Phillip Cocu | 2 | 1998 (2) |
| Ronald de Boer | 2 | 1998 (2) |
| Memphis Depay | 2 | 2014 (2) |
| Crysencio Summerville | 2 | 2026 (2) |
| Brian Brobbey | 2 | 2026 (2) |
Van Persie, who represented the Netherlands in three FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014), scored six goals in football’s biggest tournament, five of which came during the group stage.
Robin Van Persie’s Goals In FIFA World Cup
| GOAL No. | ROUND | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| 1 | Group C | Ivory Coast | Neckarstadion, Stuttgart | June 16, 2006 |
| 2 | Group E | Cameroon | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | June 24, 2010 |
| 3 | Group B | Spain | Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador | June 13, 2014 |
| 4 | Group B | Spain | Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador | June 13, 2014 |
| 5 | Group B | Australia | Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre | June 18, 2014 |
| 6 | Third-place playoff | Brazil | Estádio Nacional, Brasília | July 12, 2014 |
Gakpo also now has five FIFA World Cup group-stage goals for the Netherlands. He scored three goals in the group stage of the 2022 edition and added two more against Sweden on Saturday.
Cody Gakpo’s Goals In FIFA World Cup
| GOAL No. | ROUND | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| 1 | Group A | Senegal | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha | November 21, 2022 |
| 2 | Group A | Ecuador | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha | November 25, 2022 |
| 3 | Group A | Qatar | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor | November 29, 2022 |
| 4 | Group F | Sweden | NRG Stadium, Houston | June 20, 2026 |
| 5 | Group F | Sweden | NRG Stadium, Houston | June 20, 2026 |
The overall record for the most FIFA World Cup goals for the Netherlands is held by Johnny Rep, who scored four goals in the 1974 edition and three more in 1978, for a total of seven goals.
Most goals for Netherlands in FIFA World Cup
| Johnny Rep | 7 | 1974 (4), 1974 (3) |
| Rob Rensenbrink | 6 | 1974 (1), 1974 (5) |
| Dennis Bergkamp | 6 | 1994 (3), 1998 (3) |
| Arjen Robben | 6 | 2006 (1), 2010 (2), 2014 (3) |
| Robin Van Persie | 6 | 2006 (1), 2010 (1), 2014 (4) |
| Wesley Sneijder | 6 | 2010 (5), 2014 (1) |
| Cody Gakpo | 5 | 2022 (3), 2026 (2) |
| Johan Neeskens | 4 | 1974 (4) |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1974 (3) |
| Memphis Depay | 3 | 2014 (2), 2022 (1) |
100+ goals for Netherlands in FIFA WC
Netherlands faced Sweden in their second Group F match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Saturday (June 20) at NRG Stadium in Houston and secured a 5-1 victory in front of 68,777 fans.
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey scored a brace in the first half, while Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo also netted twice after the break. West Ham United winger Crysencio Summerville then scored his second goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the 89th minute to seal a comprehensive win for the Dutch side.
Brobbey’s second goal of the match, scored in the 17th minute, helped the Netherlands reach the 100-goal mark in FIFA World Cup history. The European giants, who are yet to win a FIFA World Cup title, became the eighth nation to score 100 or more goals in the tournament’s history.
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About the Author
Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis. Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the...Read More
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