why netherlands playing two friendlies against uzbekistan revealed

Why is Netherlands Playing Two Friendlies Simultaneously Against Uzbekistan?

Aishik Das

Published - Jun 08, 2026, 04:48 PM

3 min

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Why is Netherlands Playing Two Friendlies Simultaneously Against Uzbekistan?

Summary

Netherlands take on Uzbekistan in a friendly game at the Icahn Stadium.
A second unofficial friendly would be played after the first game to evaluate all 26 players.
A decision on Jurrien Timber is still to be taken by the management.

Netherlands are scheduled to play a friendly game against Uzbekistan on 8th June, 2026, at the Icahn Stadium in New York as a part of their World Cup preparations. Ronald Koeman's side are coming off a shock 1-0 defeat against Algeria in their previous match and are looking forward to improving upon their performances ahead of the global gathering event.

The Uzbekistan national football team, too, lost their last friendly against Canada, but will have a good opportunity to test out their final tactics in this Netherlands vs Uzbekistan friendly.

However, there's a catch to this international friendly that is about to be played in just a few hours. Reports say that the two teams will play two friendlies simultaneously, which has turned out to be quite a surprising moment for all the fans involved.

So, Is Netherlands playing two friendlies? Join us as we look further into the matter in this article.

Netherlands To Play Two Matches Against Uzbekistan On the Same Day

Yes, the Netherlands vs Uzbekistan friendly is indeed happening twice on the same date. Sounds interesting, right? The Netherlands national football team manager, Ronald Koeman, recently explained why his team would be playing two successive matches against the Asian side.

He mentioned that the first match, which is the official FIFA-listed one, would constitute the main players who are more or less confirmed to be in the starting eleven for their first World Cup group stage game against Japan.

The second game, that is the unofficial one, would be of 35 minutes of each half, where the rest of the squad will play and will be evaluated on the same.

We want to use the first match to make as few changes as possible. We have ⁠to wait and see if that works. We are going to play the first match largely with our starting team.
It is also good for guys who are not 100% fit who can then play in the second match. That is why we are playing two matches. We have 26 players and everyone gets minutes to play. That's what you want.

The reason is quite simple. Koeman wants to test out each of his 26 players before heading into the World Cup. One of the best right-backs in the world currently, Jurrien Timber, who has recently joined the squad after featuring in the UEFA Champions League with Arsenal, will be assessed in this fixture as he is returning from a long-term injury.

However, the teams must ensure that the same players are not repeated in the unofficial game to be played, to avoid burdening them and risking an injury crisis ahead of such an important tournament.