Netherlands and Uzbekistan National Teams Played Friendly Match in New York. A friendly match between the Netherlands and Uzbekistan took place in New York. Both teams are preparing for their debut at the World Cup. The meeting served as the final test for their squads ahead of the tournament.
An international friendly between the Netherlands and Uzbekistan national teams took place at Icahn Stadium in New York—both sides are using the final days before the start of the World Cup to fine-tune tactics and their lineups. The match began with a minute of silence, and the opening whistle was sounded after the national anthems were played. For both teams, this was their first ever head-to-head encounter.
The Netherlands, coached by Ronald Koeman, fielded the following starting lineup: Verbruggen, Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, De Jong, Reijnders, Gravenberch, Summerville, Gakpo, Malen. On the bench were Roefs, Flekken, Aké, Hato, Timber, Wieffer, Timber, Koopmeiners, Til, De Roon, Memphis, Justin Kluivert, Brobbey, Noa Lang, and Weghorst. At the last moment, Koeman was forced to replace Timber due to injury—his spot in the squad was taken by Geertruida. Also missing from the lineup were Kees Smit, Jeremie Frimpong, and Stefan de Vrij.
Uzbekistan, under the guidance of Fabio Cannavaro, started with the following eleven: Yusupov, Sayfiev, Urozov, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev, Fayzullaev, Mozgovoy, Shukurov, Uronov, Shomurodov. The substitutes were Nematov, Ergashev, Eshmurodov, Karimov, Ulmasaliev, Abdullayev, Esanov, Iskanderov, Jaloliddinov, Rahmonaleiv, Amonov, Jiyanov, Khamdamov, Sergeev, Temirov. Captain for Uzbekistan was Khusanov, and the coaching staff's task is to lead the team to the playoffs of the country's debut World Cup.
Both teams come into the tournament after losses in their previous matches: the Netherlands fell to Algeria (0:1), conceding the only goal to Anis Hadj Moussa, while Uzbekistan lost to Canada (0:2), with Osorio and Nelson scoring. In the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, the Netherlands will face Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia, while Uzbekistan will play Colombia, Portugal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The match in New York was part of a series of friendly games held in the US ahead of the start of the World Cup. Other tournament participants are also playing similar matches: for example, Ecuador finished their preparations with a game against Guatemala in Columbus — read more about it in the article about Ecuador's friendly match in the US.
This year, the World Cup will feature four debutants, but even with the expanded number of teams, the current tournament is not a record for new participants in recent decades. For Uzbekistan, reaching the final stage of the World Cup is a historic event, while for the Netherlands it is a chance to reclaim their status as favorites after a setback in their previous match. Both coaching staffs are using these friendlies to finalize their squad and tactics ahead of the group stage.
Icahn Stadium in New York has become one of the key venues for teams preparing for the World Cup. There is significant interest in the friendlies not only among fans but also among experts: these matches allow them to pinpoint weaknesses and find the best player combinations. After the match, both teams' coaches received additional information to help decide their starting line-ups for the 2026 World Cup.
