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Cody Gakpo has now scored 8 goals across World Cups and European Championships for the Netherlands, putting him in a category occupied by some of the most iconic names in Dutch football history.
The Liverpool forward’s tournament tally, spread across 12 appearances in major competitions, places him alongside legends like Johnny Rep, Dennis Bergkamp, and Arjen Robben as one of the most prolific Dutch scorers on the biggest international stages.
How the goals break down
Gakpo’s 8 goals are distributed across three consecutive major tournaments with remarkable consistency. He netted 3 goals during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, including a brace against Sweden. He followed that up with another 3 goals at Euro 2024, where his strike in the last-16 contributed to a victory over Romania. And in the ongoing 2026 World Cup, he has already added 2 more to his collection.
He became only the third Netherlands player in history to score three or more goals in two separate major tournaments.
Looking at his broader international numbers, Gakpo has racked up 23 senior goals in 52 caps for the Netherlands as of mid-2026. His 2026 form has been particularly sharp, with 4 goals in 6 appearances when including qualifiers alongside the World Cup group stages.
The path from PSV to Liverpool to international prominence
Gakpo’s trajectory from PSV Eindhoven to Liverpool provided the platform for his international evolution. At PSV, he developed into one of the Eredivisie’s most dangerous attackers, catching the attention of Premier League scouts with a combination of pace, technical ability, and an increasingly sharp eye for goal.
His recent performances in the 2026 World Cup group stages have continued the pattern. Reports from the tournament have highlighted late goals and impactful appearances.
Where Gakpo fits in Dutch football history
Against that backdrop, players who actually deliver when it matters most hold a special place. Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina in 1998 is seared into the collective memory of Dutch football. Robben’s runs through defenses at multiple World Cups defined an era. Rep’s contributions in the 1970s helped establish the template for what Dutch attacking football could look like on the world stage.
Gakpo is writing himself into that same narrative, one tournament goal at a time. At 8 goals and counting, with the 2026 World Cup still ongoing, he has a realistic chance of climbing even higher on the all-time list before this tournament concludes.
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