Cody Gakpo has done something that very few footballers in history can claim. The Netherlands forward has scored three or more goals in both the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, placing him in a vanishingly small club of players who have managed that level of consistency on the sport’s biggest stage.
Five career World Cup goals and counting. For a player who only burst onto the global scene four years ago in Qatar, that trajectory is worth paying attention to.
From Qatar to North America
Gakpo’s World Cup story started in 2022, when he netted three goals and helped lead the Netherlands through the tournament in Qatar. That performance was impressive enough on its own, turning him from a promising PSV Eindhoven talent into a player Liverpool felt compelled to sign.
Fast forward to the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and Gakpo has picked up right where he left off. He’s already matched his 2022 total of three goals, including a brace against Sweden during the group stage.
