Group F preview
Group F may be the most evenly contested pool in the entire World Cup.
The Netherlands arrive as favourites, but Japan have beaten Germany, Spain, England and Brazil in recent years and are no longer a side anyone underestimates.
Sweden possess two of the most dangerous strikers at the tournament. Tunisia are compact, disciplined and conceded just five goals across their entire CAF qualifying campaign.
World Cup Group F fixtures and where to watch
| Fixture | Date | Kick-off (all UK BST) | Venue | Where to Watch |
| Netherlands v Japan | June 14 | 21:00 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington | ITV and ITVX |
| Sweden v Tunisia | June 15 | 03:00 | Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe | ITV and ITVX |
| Netherlands v Sweden | June 20 | 18:00 | NRG Stadium, Houston | BBC and iPlayer |
| Tunisia v Japan | June 21 | 05:00 | Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe | BBC and iPlayer |
| Japan v Sweden | June 26 | 00:00 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington | BBC and iPlayer |
| Tunisia v Netherlands | June 26 | 00:00 | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City | BBC and iPlayer |
Here, we take a look at the teams in detail.
Netherlands: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Coach: Ronald Koeman
Qualification: UEFA qualifiers
Best World Cup: Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
The Netherlands have reached three World Cup finals without winning one. That weight of history follows Ronald Koeman’s squad to North America, but there is genuine belief that this generation has the quality to go all the way.
The Oranje topped their UEFA qualifying group without suffering a defeat, scoring 27 goals and conceding just four. The squad Koeman has assembled is one of the most Premier League-heavy in Dutch history – 15 of his 26 players ply their trade in England.
Virgil van Dijk captains from centre-back, Micky van de Ven and Jurrien Timber provide quality either side of him, and the midfield axis of Ryan Gravenberch and Frenkie de Jong gives the Netherlands control across the pitch.
The loss of Xavi Simons to an ACL injury in April is a big blow for the Dutch. The Tottenham playmaker was arguably the most important creative force in the squad and has no chance of making the tournament.
Koeman must now find that creativity from elsewhere, with Tijjani Reijnders, Teun Koopmeiners and Justin Kluivert the most likely candidates.
Up front, Memphis Depay – the all-time leading scorer – will lead the line alongside Cody Gakpo.
Netherlands star player: Cody Gakpo can be the difference-maker
With Simons gone, Gakpo becomes the most important attacking player in this squad.
The Liverpool forward has the directness, movement and goalscoring threat to unsettle any defence in this group. When he plays with confidence, he is one of the most dangerous wide forwards in world football.
Prediction: Netherlands to top the group
The depth and experience makes them the most complete team in Group F. Japan will offer the sternest test, but the Dutch should come through.
Japan: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Qualification: AFC qualifiers
Best World Cup: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Japan arrive at this tournament not as underdogs, but as a side that has earned the right to be taken seriously.
Hajime Moriyasu’s squad beat Germany and Spain at the last World Cup. In the March international window, they beat Scotland 1-0 and then won 1-0 at Wembley, becoming the first Asian nation ever to defeat England.
The loss of Kaoru Mitoma is a huge blow. The Brighton winger suffered a hamstring injury in May that required surgery, ruling him out for four to six months.
Alongside Takumi Minamino, who tore his ACL in December, it means Japan travel to North America without two of their most creative and influential attacking players.
Captain Wataru Endo, recovered from an ankle injury in time to travel, leads from the front. Takefusa Kubo, Ritsu Doan and Junya Ito provide pace and craft in wide areas. Daichi Kamada offers a goal threat from midfield.
Moriyasu has options and he knows how to use them. Japan press aggressively, defend compactly and are capable of beating any team in the group on their day.
Japan star player: Takefusa Kubo is the creative force
With Mitoma gone, Kubo must step forward as Japan’s most dangerous attacker.
The Real Sociedad forward’s technical ability, movement between the lines and capacity to create and score goals make him the player opponents most need to contain.
Prediction: Japan to qualify in second place
Moriyasu’s side have the experience, organisation and quality to come through this group despite their injury problems. The Netherlands opener will be the acid test.
Sweden: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Coach: Graham Potter
Qualification: UEFA Nations League playoffs
Best World Cup: Third place (1950, 1994)
Sweden’s route to this World Cup was as dramatic as qualification can get.
Graham Potter, in the job for less than six months after replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson, guided his side through the UEFA Nations League play-off route in March.
Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick against Ukraine, then won it in the 88th minute against Poland to send Sweden to the World Cup.
The squad Potter has assembled is built around two of the most lethal strikers at the tournament. Gyokeres arrived at Arsenal last summer and has since played a central role in their Premier League title success.
Alexander Isak made his record-breaking move to Liverpool slightly later and, when fit, is one of the best centre-forwards in the world. Getting both of them on the pitch in form and fit is the challenge.
Behind those two, there is real quality. Anthony Elanga provides pace from the right, Lucas Bergvall and Yasin Ayari give Sweden energy and creativity in midfield while Victor Lindelof captains from a back three alongside Isak Hien and Carl Starfelt.
Sweden star player: Viktor Gyokeres arrives in the form of his life
Gyokeres is one of the most in-demand strikers on the planet right now and heads to North America having just won the Premier League.
His combination of power, pace and finishing quality make him a nightmare for any defence to manage. If Sweden are to go deep in this tournament, he will be at the heart of it.
Prediction: Sweden to push for second place
The firepower of Gyokeres and Isak makes Sweden a genuine threat to any team in this group. A run to the knockout rounds is a realistic target.
Tunisia: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Coach: Sabri Lamouchi
Qualification: CAF qualifiers
Best World Cup: Group stage
Tunisia have never made it past the group stage at a World Cup. Seven appearances, seven early exits. That is the record Sabri Lamouchi will be trying to change in North America.
The Carthage Eagles qualified with the most dominant defensive campaign in African qualifying, winning nine of 10 games, drawing the other and keeping a clean sheet in all 10.
Lamouchi was appointed earlier this year after Sami Trabelsi was sacked following a quarter-final exit to Mali at AFCON 2025, and he has had just two games in charge before arriving at the World Cup.
Ellyes Skhiri captains the side from defensive midfield, bringing Champions League experience from his time at Eintracht Frankfurt and the kind of reading of the game that holds this Tunisia unit together.
Hannibal Mejbri, now established at Burnley, provides the energy while Hazem Mastouri leads the line and is Tunisia’s primary threat in front of goal.
The concern, as always with Tunisia, is creating enough going forward. They are built to be hard to beat, but putting the ball in the net against the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan will require more than that.
Tunisia star player: Hannibal Mejbri is the creative key
Hannibal has become one of Tunisia’s most important players at just 23.
The Burnley midfielder has the technical quality to unlock defences, and his Premier League experience gives him a foundation that few others in this squad can match.
Prediction: A narrow miss for Tunisia
The quality of their group opponents makes a first-ever knockout round appearance very unlikely.
Predicted World Cup 2026 Group F table
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | |
| Netherlands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
