The Netherlands and Japan will open their World Cup 2026 campaigns on Sunday evening when they meet in Dallas.
Match preview: Netherlands vs. Japan
Group F also consists of Sweden and Tunisia, making every point valuable in what could be one of the most even groups in the championship.
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The Dutch arrive in North America hoping to finally put an end to the long wait for the World Cup halo. Despite reaching three finals – in 1974, 1978 and 2010 – the Oranje remain one of football’s most successful nations that have never lifted the trophy.
National team manager Ronald Koeman leads the Netherlands into a World Cup as manager for the first time, having previously represented his country as a player in the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
However, the preparations have not been entirely convincing. A surprise defeat to Algeria broke an unbeaten streak of ten games, and in a behind-closed-door win against Uzbekistan, two penalties were needed from Cody Gakpo – one deep into injury time.
Koeman will be hoping for a more fluid attacking game against a Japan side that comes with great confidence after an outstanding run-up to the championship.
Samurai Blue has quietly developed into one of the most stable national teams in world football, qualifying for their eighth straight World Cup with minimal problems.
Japan scored 54 goals during the AFC qualifiers – more than any other nation in the confederation – and conceded just three.
Recent results in friendly matches have further strengthened the faith. Japan has won six straight matches, including notable victories over Brazil and England.
Japan also impressed at the 2022 World Cup, beating both Germany and Spain before pushing all the way to Croatia in a penalty shootout in the last eight.
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Team news for Netherlands vs Japan
The Netherlands are uncertain about first-choice goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after he suffered a hip injury in the team’s last World Cup warm-up match.
If Verbruggen doesn’t make it, Mark Flekken is expected to fill in between the sticks, while Robin Roefs is also available.
Ronald Koeman already has to do without several important players. Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber withdrew from the squad, and Jerdy Schouten, Matthijs de Ligt and Xavi Simons are also unavailable due to injury.
Japan’s biggest absence is captain Wataru Endo, who announced that he is retiring from the national team after he failed to return from a foot injury.
Kaoru Mitoma is also not available, which means that a greater responsibility falls on Takefusa Kubo, Junya Ito, and Ayase Ueda. The trio combined for 33 assists during qualifying and are expected to lead Japan’s attacking threat.
Veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo can also make history during the championship. If he gets playing time, the 39-year-old will become the first Asian player to participate in five separate World Cup finals.
Predicted line-ups for Netherlands vs. Japan
Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; De Jong, Gravenberch; Summerville, Reijnders, Gakpo; Depay
Japan: Suzuki; Taniguchi, Watanabe, H. Ito; Doan, Kamada, Tanaka, Nakamura; J. Ito, Kubo; Ueda
Where to watch Netherlands vs. Japan
The Netherlands vs Japan kicks off on Sunday at 22:00 Norwegian time. You can watch the fight on ITV 1 and stream it via ITVX.
Netherlands vs Japan Facts
- This will be the Netherlands’ 12th World Cup participation. No other team has been in the final as many times as the Dutch without ever winning the trophy (three times – 1974, 1978, 2010).
- The Netherlands have won 54.5 percent of their matches at the World Cup (30 out of 55, excluding penalty shootouts), and only Brazil (66.7 percent) and Germany (60.7 percent) have a higher win percentage in the history of the tournament. The Dutch are also just four goals short of reaching 100 goals in the World Cup.
- Excluding penalty shootouts, the Netherlands have lost just one of their last 19 World Cup matches (14 wins, 4 draws). The only loss came in the 2010 final against Spain (0–1 after extra time). At the same time, their last defeat in the group stage was back in 1994, when they lost 0-1 to Belgium.
- This will be Japan’s eighth straight World Cup participation – a streak that stretches back to 1998. It is the second-longest streak of straight appearances by an Asian nation, behind South Korea’s current streak of 11 straight World Cup finals.
- Japan has never progressed beyond the last eight of a World Cup. In fact, they hold the record for the most games played without reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament (25 games).
- Japan scored more goals than any other team in the AFC 2026 World Cup qualifiers – finding the back of the net 54 times, which includes a 3-0 walkover win against North Korea. Outside of the host nations, Japan was the first nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
