When does Group F play?

June 14 (Matchday 1), June 20 (Matchday 2), June 25 (Matchday 3).

Who is the favourite?

Netherlands (87% advancement probability). Three-time finalists with Van Dijk and Gakpo.

Can Japan repeat their 2022 heroics?

Yes — 75% advancement probability. They beat Germany and Spain in 2022 and have an even deeper squad now.

Is Viktor Gyökeres the breakout star?

Potentially. The Swedish striker has scored 60+ goals in 2024-25 for Sporting CP and is one of Europe's hottest forwards.

Who is in World Cup 2026 Group F?

Group F consists of the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia. It is widely considered one of the most competitive groups at the 2026 World Cup.

Will the Netherlands win Group F at the 2026 World Cup?

The Netherlands are the highest-ranked team in Group F and are expected to be strong contenders for the top spot. However, Japan are a dangerous opponent, Sweden qualified impressively through the playoffs, and Tunisia are experienced at World Cup level.

When does Japan play in the 2026 World Cup?

Japan are in Group F and will play three group stage matches against the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia. Check the fixtures section above for exact dates and venues.

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Group F — FIFA World Cup 2026

Standings

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Tunisia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fixtures

#	Date	Home	Away	Venue
10	2026-06-14	Netherlands	Japan	AT&T Stadium, Arlington
12	2026-06-14	Sweden	Tunisia	Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
33	2026-06-20	Tunisia	Japan	Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
34	2026-06-20	Netherlands	Sweden	NRG Stadium, Houston
57	2026-06-25	Japan	Sweden	AT&T Stadium, Arlington
58	2026-06-25	Tunisia	Netherlands	Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

Group F team comparison

Stat	Netherlands	Japan	Tunisia	Sweden
FIFA Ranking	6th	17th	36th	48th
World Cup Titles	0	0	0	0
World Cup Appearances	12	7	6	13
Best WC Finish	Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)	Round of 16 (2002, 2022)	Group stage (all)	3rd place (1938, 1994)
Last WC Result	Quarterfinals (2022)	Round of 16 (2022)	Group stage (2022)	Quarterfinals (2018)
Manager	Ronald Koeman	Hajime Moriyasu	Sabri Lamouchi	Jon Dahl Tomasson
Captain	Virgil van Dijk	Wataru Endo	Youssef Msakni	Viktor Gyökeres
Star Player	Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)	Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)	Youssef Msakni (Al Ahli)	Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP)
Qualification Route	UEFA Group G — 1st	AFC 3rd Round — Group C 1st	CAF Group H — 1st	UEFA Playoff Path C winner

All four teams compared.

Qualifying campaign statistics

Stat	Netherlands	Japan	Tunisia	Sweden
Qualification Path	UEFA Group G	AFC Third Round	CAF Group H	UEFA Playoff Path C
Qualifying Matches	10	16	10	12 (10 group + 2 playoff)
Record (W-D-L)	8-1-1	11-2-3	5-3-2	7-2-3
Win Rate	80%	68.8%	50%	58.3%
Goals Scored	24	38	12	27
Goals Conceded	8	12	7	12
Goal Difference	+16	+26	+5	+15
Clean Sheets	4	8	4	5
Top Qualifier Scorer	Cody Gakpo (6 goals)	Takumi Minamino (8 goals)	Youssef Msakni (3 goals)	Viktor Gyökeres (9 goals)

All-time World Cup records

Stat	Netherlands	Japan	Tunisia	Sweden
WC Appearances	11 (+ 2026 = 12th)	6 (+ 2026 = 7th)	5 (+ 2026 = 6th)	12 (+ 2026 = 13th)
Total WC Matches	50	24	16	51
WC Wins	30	7	2	18
WC Goals Scored	95	26	8	79
Best Finish	Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)	R16 (2002, 2022)	Group stage (all)	3rd place (1938, 1994)
All-Time WC Top Scorer	Robin van Persie (6 goals)	Keisuke Honda / Shinji Kagawa (3 goals)	Wahbi Khazri (2 goals)	Henrik Larsson (5 goals)
WC Titles	0	0	0	0

Head-to-head history

All-time H2H summary

Matchup	Played	Team A Wins	Draws	Team B Wins	Total Goals
Netherlands vs Japan	3	1 (NED)	2	0	5
Netherlands vs Tunisia	2	2 (NED)	0	0	7
Netherlands vs Sweden	37	14 (NED)	11	12 (SWE)	105
Japan vs Tunisia	4	2 (Japan)	1	1 (Tunisia)	9
Japan vs Sweden	3	0	1	2 (Sweden)	5
Tunisia vs Sweden	2	0	1	1 (Sweden)	4

World Cup meetings

Year	Match	Score	Stage	Venue
1974	Netherlands vs Sweden	0-0	Group 3	Dortmund, Germany
2006	Japan vs Australia	1-3	Group F	Kaiserslautern, Germany
2018	Sweden vs South Korea	1-0	Group F	Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Netherlands vs Sweden is a classic European rivalry with 37 all-time meetings. Netherlands vs Japan could be the group decider.

Key players — stats

Player	Position	Club	Age	Int'l Caps	Int'l Goals	WC Appearances	WC Goals
Virgil van Dijk	DF (captain)	Liverpool	34	80+	7	2 (2014 — didn't play, 2022)	0
Cody Gakpo	FW	Liverpool	26	50+	18+	1 (2022)	3
Takefusa Kubo	FW	Real Sociedad	25	45+	8+	1 (2022)	0
Wataru Endo	MF (captain)	Liverpool	33	60+	5+	1 (2022)	0
Youssef Msakni	FW (captain)	Al Ahli	33	70+	20+	2 (2018, 2022)	0
Viktor Gyökeres	FW	Sporting CP	28	25+	15+	0	0
Alexander Isak	FW	Newcastle	26	40+	12+	0	0

Group F predictions

Advancement probability

Team	Win Group	Finish 2nd	Finish 3rd (qualify)	Finish 3rd (eliminated)	Finish 4th	Total Advance %
Netherlands	45%	30%	12%	8%	5%	87%
Japan	30%	30%	15%	12%	13%	75%
Sweden	15%	20%	20%	20%	25%	55%
Tunisia	10%	20%	18%	22%	30%	48%

Probabilities based on pre-tournament rankings, qualifying form, and squad quality.

Predicted finish order

Position	Team	Predicted Pts	Predicted GD	Reasoning
1st	Netherlands	7	+3	Three-time finalists. Van Dijk and Gakpo bring Liverpool quality.
2nd	Japan	6	+2	Giant-killers in 2022 (beat Germany and Spain). Deep squad with European players.
3rd	Sweden	4	+1	Gyökeres and Isak form a lethal strike partnership.
4th	Tunisia	1	-3	Organized defensively but lack firepower.

Key match predictions

Match	Prediction	Significance
Netherlands vs Japan (MD1)	Netherlands 2-1	The group''s blockbuster. Netherlands edge a tight game.
Sweden vs Tunisia (MD1)	Sweden 1-0	Gyökeres makes the difference in Monterrey.
Tunisia vs Japan (MD2)	Japan 2-0	Japan's depth shows in Monterrey.
Netherlands vs Sweden (MD2)	Netherlands 2-1	Classic European rivalry won by Dutch quality in Houston.
Japan vs Sweden (MD3)	Draw 1-1	Both already qualified; low-intensity clash.
Tunisia vs Netherlands (MD3)	Netherlands 1-0	Dutch seal top spot in Kansas City.

Group F venues

Stadium (FIFA Name)	City	Country	Capacity	Altitude	Group F Matches	Other WC Matches
AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium)	Arlington	USA	80,000	185m	MD1: NED-JPN, MD3: JPN-SWE	6 total incl. Semifinal
Estadio BBVA (Monterrey Stadium)	Monterrey	Mexico	50,113	540m	MD1: SWE-TUN, MD2: TUN-JPN	4 total incl. R32
NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium)	Houston	USA	72,220	15m	MD2: NED-SWE	5 total incl. QF
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium)	Kansas City	USA	76,416	247m	MD3: TUN-NED	4 total incl. QF

Group F splits between Texas, Kansas City, and Monterrey (Mexico). AT&T Stadium (80,000 capacity) hosts the marquee Netherlands vs Japan opener.

Group F analysis

Group F is arguably the most competitive in the tournament. The Netherlands are three-time World Cup finalists with Liverpool's Van Dijk and Gakpo providing the spine. Japan shocked the world in 2022 by beating both Germany and Spain in the group stage — they cannot be underestimated with a squad packed with European-based talent.

Sweden return to the World Cup after missing 2022, bringing arguably Europe's most in-form striker in Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP) and Alexander Isak (Newcastle). Tunisia are well-organized and drew with both Denmark and France at the 2022 World Cup. This group has no easy games.