There aren’t many sides at this World Cup 2026 with a better tournament pedigree than the Netherlands, who will fancy themselves as a match for anyone in North America.
H1: World Cup 2026 Group F Preview: Double Dutch
Ronald Koeman’s side were impressive in qualifying, but a series of injury issues means they are unlikely to have things all their own way, in what looks a tricky group. We’ve picked out everything you need to know about World Cup 2026 Group F for you below.
H2: World Cup 2026 Group F: World Rankings
-Netherlands – Ranked 8th
-Japan – Ranked 18th
-Sweden – Ranked 38th
-Tunisia – Ranked 45th
H2: World Cup 2026 Group F Fixtures (UK Time)
-Netherlands v Japan, Sunday 14th June (9pm), Dallas
-Sweden v Tunisia, Monday 15th June (3am), Monterrey
-Netherlands v Sweden, Saturday 20th June (6pm), Houston
-Tunisia v Japan, Sunday 21st June (5am), Monterrey
-Japan v Sweden, Friday 26th June (12am), Dallas
-Tunisia v Netherlands, Friday 26th June (12am), Kansas City
H2: World Cup 2026 Group F: Team-by-Team Preview
All four names in this group carry plenty of World Cup pedigree, though each side also has conceivable chinks in their armour. Read on to find out our in-depth views on each side in Group F below.
H3: Netherlands (1.68)
With three runners-up berths and a further two semi-finals appearances on their record, the Dutch are fairly used to going deep into the World Cup, though the fact they failed to qualify for two of the last six tournaments paints a “hit and miss” dynamic they’re still trying to shake. Netherlands weren’t present at the 2018 finals in Russia, though they have been much improved since then, reaching the quarter-finals in Qatar four years later and losing out to a last-minute England winner in the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
The Dutch were unbeaten in qualifying and will certainly fancy themselves as dark horses, though manager Ronald Koeman has been beset with a series of injury issues. Each of Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt, Xavi Simons and Jerdy Schouten are out of the tournament, while Frenkie de Jong, Denzel Dumfries, Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Aké are all short of fitness.
At their best, the Netherlands would be comfortable favourites to top this group, though a warm-up defeat at home to Algeria showed they’re far from at full strength. There’s still plenty of quality to enable this side to do well, led by Liverpool maestro Virgil van Dijk, but there’s a worry that they might struggle to break down the more capable sides.
H3: Japan (3.60)
Having been in the footballing wilderness for much of the 20th Century, Japan have transformed themselves into World Cup regulars and this will be their eighth straight finals appearance. Samurai Blue have qualified for the knockout stages in three of their last four attempts and they will no doubt be confident of improving that record further.
Qualification proved to be a breeze, scoring 54 goals and conceding just three in 16 games and topping a group which included tournament regulars Australia and Saudi Arabia. Japan have caught many an eye in their warm-up games so far this year, taking the notable scalps of England and Scotland as well as Iceland on their travels, results which should stand them in good stead for the challenge of two European sides.
The fact that Hajime Moriyasu’s side are 48.00 to lift the trophy shows they are plausible dark horses for this, though a key worry would be the fact that they’re just not able to regularly test themselves against the very best sides. Wataru Endo, Daichi Kamada and Ao Tanaka all ply their trade in the Premier League and several more of this squad are based at top clubs across Europe, but they’re perhaps lacking that standout talent that can make the difference as the tournament goes on.
H3: Sweden (5.25)
You’d be forgiven for wondering just why or how Sweden are here, seeing as they became the first side to qualify for a World Cup despite finishing last in their group and failing to win a game in that segment. The Nations League is one of the more popular introductions over the last few years and it’s a firm favourite of the Swedes, as their progress in that competition allowed them to pinch a play-off berth. It doesn’t seem fair after finishing miserably off the pace behind Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia, but they defeated Ukraine and Poland fair and square to earn their spot.
Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup but it’s been a barren spell since, failing to qualify for both the 2022 finals in Qatar and Euro 2024, while they were winless in warm-up games against Norway and Greece. Graham Potter will need to work more miracles if they’re to progress, though in Alexander Isak, Anthony Elanga and Viktor Gyökeres they do have a world-class front three. In an open group, they have a puncher’s chance.
H3: Tunisia (10.40)
Tunisia are due to make their sixth appearance at a finals and they will be hoping that they can escape the group stages for the first time. The North African side were hugely impressive in qualifying, blowing away an admittedly weak qualifying group that contained the likes of Namibia, Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe, though they dropped just two points in 10 games, scoring 22 and keeping 10 clean sheets.
Things start to become a little more unhinged from here, however. Tunisia were led by three different managers in that qualifying campaign in Jalel Kadri, Montasser Louhichi and Sami Trabelsi, though it’s Sabri Lamouchi that leads them to North America. Creditable results against Haiti and Canada in March brought optimism, though Tunisia have since been beaten by Austria and thumped by Belgium, tempering enthusiasm. The majority of this side ply their trade at a good level across Europe and while they’ll be tough to break down, it’s difficult to envisage too many goals.
World Cup 2026: Group F Selections
Back Under 2.5 Goals in Sweden v Tunisia @ 1.57 with kwiff
Back The Draw in Netherlands v Japan @ 3.10 with kwiff
By Nick Seddon
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