Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has postponed announcing the final World Cup squad by two days to Wednesday, May 27. He said the delay allows more time to evaluate injured players' fitness as the team prepares for the tournament [1, 2]. "By taking two extra days, we can be more certain that the players we are going to select are in good shape," Koeman said. "It gives us the opportunity to personally see, speak to and assess several players who are in contention for the final selection during training days on May 25, 26 and 27." [1]
Several players remain doubtful for the tournament, including Memphis Depay, Justin Kluivert, and Jurrien Timber [1, 2]. Koeman emphasized the delay does not affect the original preparation schedule, with full group training starting on Saturday, May 30 [1, 2].
Ahead of the World Cup, the Netherlands will play two friendlies. The first is against Algeria on June 3 in Rotterdam. The team will then travel to the United States on June 4. A second friendly takes place on June 8 against Uzbekistan in New York [1, 2].
The Dutch open their World Cup campaign on June 14 against Japan in Dallas [1, 2]. Coach Koeman plans to use the final days before May 27 to fully assess all players before making the final squad selection [1, 2].