Group F appears to be one of the most intriguing of the 2026 World Cup, with four teams that believe in their chances of advancing to the knockout stages. The Netherlands may not have the attacking power of past generations, but they have vast quality and experience in defense and midfield, starting the group as favorites to reach first place. However, they face competition from a talented Japan, which occupies 18th place in the world rankings, a Sweden with outstanding forwards and a Tunisia that is difficult to defeat.
With the new expanded 48-team format, there is the possibility of a strange situation where it may be preferable to qualify in third place rather than second, where Brazil will likely wait in the round of 16. This also means there will be a strong incentive to win the group, making the competition even more interesting.
Group F matches (all times in BST)
June 14, 9pm: Netherlands vs Japan – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
June 15, 3am: Tunisia vs Sweden – BBVA Stadium, Guadeloupe
June 20, 6pm: Netherlands vs Sweden – NRG Stadium, Houston
June 21, 5am: Japan vs Tunisia – BBVA Stadium, Guadeloupe
June 26, 0:00: Sweden vs Japan – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
June 26, 0h: Tunisia vs Netherlands – Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
The Dutch may be just the eighth favorites before the start of the World Cup, according to most bookmakers, but they say defenses win tournaments and the Netherlands have one of the best in North America this summer. Captain Virgil van Dijk is expected to be paired with Arsenal's Jurrien Timber at the heart of the defense, along with Tottenham's Micky van de Ven at left-back and Denzel Dumfries, who is expected to sign for Real Madrid from Inter, at right-back. Before we talk about Manchester City's Nathan Ake, Chelsea's Jorrel Hato and Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke.
Ronald Koeman can also call on an impressive midfield, including Ryan Gravenberch, Frenkie de Jong and Tijjani Reijnders – it's a shame Xavi Simons has been sidelined through injury. Unusually for a Dutch team, the offensive options are a little scarce. However, Donyell Malen has found impressive form on loan at Roma this season, scoring 14 goals since joining the club from Aston Villa in January, and is expected to lead the attack.
Summoned
Goalkeepers: Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland), Bart Verbruggen (Brighton)
Defenders: Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Mats Wieffer (Brighton)
Forwards: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham), Wout Weghorst (Ajax)
Coach: Ronald Koeman
Team star: Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool: Liverpool's defensive midfielder didn't have a season that stood out for his high standards, but he is one of the best in the world in his position when he is in form, being essential both in protecting the defense and in taking the ball forward.
Rising talent: Crysencio Summerville, West Ham: The 24-year-old is well known to Premier League fans and can now make an impact on the global stage with his speed and ability on the ball.
FIFA Ranking: 8.
Odds to win the World Cup: 16/1.
Japan has risen up the world rankings in recent years and now finds itself among the top 20 entering this World Cup. Their back-to-back qualifying appearances and victories over Germany and Spain at Qatar 2022 demonstrated their ability to compete with the world's best. Hajime Moriyasu built a well-organized, energetic and technical team that defeated England at Wembley in March. Japan is expected to be on many "Trojan horse" lists in the coming days. His national team plays in several leagues across Europe, and perhaps the most notable this season is Feyenoord's Ayase Ueda, who won the Eredivisie Golden Boot by scoring 25 goals in 31 appearances. The big disappointment for Japan is that Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma is injured and will miss the tournament.
Summoned
Goalkeepers: Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Zion Suzuki (Parma)
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Junosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen)
Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
Forwards: Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Keito Nakamura (Stade de Reims), Ito Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiode (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)
Trainer: Hajime Moriyasu
Team star: Ayase Ueda, Feyenoord: Few teams have such a fit forward at the World Cup.
Rising talent: Zion Suzuki, Parma: The young goalkeeper has established himself as the number 1 for both Parma in Serie A and the Japanese national team, and will be playing in his first World Cup.
FIFA Ranking: 18.
Odds to win the World Cup: 40/1.
Sweden performed terribly in the qualifiers and failed to reach the World Cup via the traditional route. But he got another chance through the Nations League playoffs and took advantage in dramatic fashion when Viktor Gyokeres scored the 88th-minute winner to beat Poland in Stockholm and send Sweden to North America. Graham Potter took charge of the Swedish national team in November and led Sweden to playoff glory. Now, his task is to get the team out of this difficult group – and he has a lot of attacking power at his disposal. Alexander Isak and Gyokeres form one of the most potent attacking forces at the World Cup, complemented by the speed of Anthony Elanga.
Summoned
Goalkeepers: Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Viktor Johansson (Stoke), Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (Derby)
Defenders: Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Elliot Stroud (Mjallby AIF), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds), Herman Johansson (FC Dallas), Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Erik Smith (St. Pauli)
Midfielders: Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Mattias Svanberg (VfL Wolfsburg), Besfort Zeneli (Union Saint-Gilloise), Jesper Karlstrom (Udinese), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic)
Forwards: Taha Ali (Malmo FF), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge), Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
Trainer: Graham Potter
Team star: Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal: His four goals in two games took Sweden to the World Cup and, especially given Isak's health problems this season, Gyokeres will be the key player in attack.
Rising talent: Yasin Ayari, Brighton: The 22-year-old is the second youngest player in the Swedish squad and provides support in midfield, having already accumulated 21 caps and three goals for his country.
FIFA Ranking: 38.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100/1.
Tunisia are the underdogs of the group, but they have nothing to fear. They beat France four years ago in Qatar and have demonstrated repeatedly that they can be tough to play against, qualifying for the World Cup without conceding a single goal. Coach Sabri Lamouchi is still getting to know his team after taking over in January, but early signs suggest he will play with a defensive line and prioritize young players. Tunisia's aim is to reach the knockout stages for the first time, and a victory could be enough to advance in this new expanded 48-team format, where eight third-placed teams also progress to the round of 16. Tunisia may also be better equipped than their Group F opponents to deal with the North American summer heat.
Convocados
Guarda-redes: Sabri Ben Hessen (Etoile Sahel), Abdelmouhib Chamakh (Club Africain), Aymen Dahman (CS Sfaxien)
Defensores: Ali Abdi (Nice), Adem Arous (Kasimpasa), Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida (Esperance), Dylan Bronn (Servette Geneva), Raed Chikhaoui (US Monastir), Moutaz Neffati (Norrkoping), Omar Rekik (NK Maribor), Montassar Talbi (Lorient), Yan Valery (Young Boys Berne)
Médios: Mortadha Ben Ouanes (Kasimpasa), Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich), Ismael Gharbi (Augsburg), Rani Khedira (Union Berlin), Mohamed Hadj Mahmoud (Lugano), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley), Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Avançados: Elias Achouri (FC Copenhagen), Khalil Ayari (Paris Saint-Germain), Firas Chaouat (Club Africain), Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps), Hazem Mastouri (Dynamo Makhachkala), Elias Saad (Hannover 96), Sebastian Tounekti (Celtic)
Treinador: Sabri Lamouchi
Estrela da equipa: Hannibal Mejbri, Burnley: The media in Burnley has been on 23 August, so we can turn on the talent in Tunísia.
Talent ascensão: Ismael Gharbi, Augsburg: Consider the future of Tunísia as a student at the Paris Saint-Germain Academy to the main campus, as there is a car that is located in the city of Braga and located in Augsburg for the summer. On December 22, they were on the platform to mostrar their talent in the Copa World and the world.
FIFA Ranking: 46.
Odds to win the World Cup: 500/1.
Group F Forecast
The Netherlands should win this group, although that may not be entirely smooth or simple. The big question is who will take second place, and this will probably depend on the last game between Sweden and Japan. Our prediction is that Sweden will advance, just because Kaoru Mitoma's injury weakens Japan's attack, but Japan will progress as third place, with Tunisia being left out.