World Cup 2026 Group F: Netherlands and Japan qualify - Sweden advances as best third
GROUP F COMPLETE, 1st: Netherlands 7 pts (qualified); 2nd: Japan 5 pts (qualified); 3rd: Sweden 4 pts (advances as best third-placed team); 4th: Tunisia 0 pts (eliminated). MD3 (25 Jun): Netherlands 3-1 Tunisia (Skhiri OG, Brobbey, van Hecke; Mastouri); Japan 1-1 Sweden (Maeda 56', Elanga 62'). MD2 (21 Jun): Japan 4-0 Tunisia (Kamada 4', Ueda 30'+83', Ito 69'), the 1,000th WC match; Netherlands 5-1 Sweden. MD1 (14-15 Jun): Netherlands 2-2 Japan; Sweden 5-1 Tunisia.
The context
Group F produced two of the most entertaining matches of the opening round. At AT&T Stadium in Dallas on June 14, the Netherlands twice led Japan, through Virgil van Dijk’s towering header and Crysencio Summerville’s fine finish, only to be pegged back both times, the second via Daichi Kamada’s 89th-minute header that silenced the Dutch contingent. It was a result that illustrated Japan’s stubborn quality and left the group wide open before a ball had been kicked in Monterrey.
The following day, in that very city, Sweden delivered the most emphatic statement from any Group F side: a 5-1 dismantling of Tunisia that combined individual brilliance with collective efficiency. Alexander Isak orchestrated much of the damage, picking up a goal and two assists, while Viktor Gyökeres showed why he is among Europe’s most feared forwards. The game also featured a piece of World Cup history: substitute Mattias Svanberg struck just 13 seconds after coming on, the fastest goal ever scored by a substitute in the tournament’s history.
After one round, Sweden sit top on 3 points with a +4 goal difference, already signalling their ambitions. The Netherlands and Japan share second place on 1 point each, and their direct encounter later in the group will be decisive. Tunisia must recover quickly with three points still available to them. This is a group where every result matters from the very first whistle.
Matchday 2 (June 20-21) scrambled the Group F table completely. At NRG Stadium in Houston, the Netherlands served notice of their title credentials with an emphatic 5-1 demolition of Sweden. Brian Brobbey was unstoppable in the opening phase, two goals in the first seventeen minutes, before Cody Gakpo put the game to bed with a double in the opening ten minutes of the second half. Anthony Elanga pulled one back for a depleted Sweden, but substitute Crysencio Summerville added a fifth in the 90th to complete a statement performance. The Netherlands move to 4 points; Sweden’s tally stays at 3 despite the heavy loss.
The later game between Japan and Tunisia at midnight ET in Monterrey was the tournament’s 1,000th ever World Cup match, but there was no fairytale for Hervé Renard’s side. Japan were clinical from the opening minutes: Daichi Kamada scored in the 4th minute, Ayase Ueda doubled the lead in the 30th, Junya Ito added a third in the 69th, and Ueda completed his brace in the 83rd. Japan won 4-0, their largest-ever World Cup margin and the first time any AFC nation scored four goals in a World Cup game. Tunisia were left without a point; Japan jumped to 4 points, level with the Netherlands at the top of Group F.
Matchday 3 on June 25 confirmed the qualifiers. The Netherlands put Tunisia away 3-1, a Skhiri own goal, a Brian Brobbey finish, and a Jan Paul van Hecke header making it 3-0 before Hazem Mastouri pulled one back. The Netherlands finished on 7 points. Japan and Sweden met in the group’s decisive match: Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead in the 56th minute, but Anthony Elanga equalised for Sweden in the 62nd. The 1-1 draw left Japan on 5 points as runners-up; Sweden’s 4 points place them among the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the Round of 32. Final Group F: Netherlands 7 pts (1st, qualified), Japan 5 pts (2nd, qualified), Sweden 4 pts (3rd, advances as best third), Tunisia 0 pts (4th, eliminated).