France v Netherlands live stream, Saturday 23 July, 8pm BST, BBC One
France and the Netherlands will go head-to-head on Saturday night for a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2022.
Les Bleues began the tournament with a bang, thrashing Italy 5-1 in a match which saw them score all five of their goals in the first half. It was a stunning display from France, but one they were unable to match in their two subsequent group games.
The victory over Belgium on matchday was by a narrower margin of two goals to one, before France were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland on Monday night. Corinne Diacre's side were just seconds away from making it three wins out of three, only for Dagny Brynjarsdottir to equalise from the penalty spot in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.
The Netherlands had to settle for second spot in Group C after finishing behind Sweden on goal difference. The two favourites to advance to the knockout phase drew 1-1 in their opening game, but Sweden's 5-0 victory over Portugal on matchday three saw them take first place after the Dutch beat Switzerland 4-1.
A return of seven points from nine might suggest a smooth passage to the last eight, but the Netherlands have encountered plenty of problems already, including injuries to key players and the absence of star woman Vivianne Miedema due to Covid-19 symptoms.
The main question mark over this France team going into the tournament was whether they had the togetherness and team spirit to go all the way, amid reports of an uneasy relationship between Diacre and some of the players.
We did not see much of that in the group stage, but a clash with a team as good as the Netherlands will pose a test of France's character as much as their quality. They have the talent to beat the reigning champions, but do they have the temperament?
Kick-off is at 8pm BST on Saturday 23 July. The game is live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website in the UK. See below for international broadcast options.
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VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch Euro 2022 football from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of Euro 2022 fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch the action without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, including:
UK TV rights
How to watch Euro 2022 live streams for UK subscribers
The BBC has the rights to show Euro 2022 in the UK.
US TV rights
How to watch Euro 2022 live streams for US subscribers
ESPN and TUDN have the rights to show Euro 2022 in the USA.
Australia TV rights
How to watch Euro 2022 live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus have the rights to show Euro 2022 in Australia.
