FIFA World Cup Group F 2026 Preview

2026 FIFA World Cup Group F matches will be played from June 14 to 25. In Group F, the Netherlands is the clear favorite and is also seen as a quarter-final team for the whole tournament. Tunisia is identified as the group underdog, while Japan and Sweden should fight for second place in the group.

All teams except Sweden played at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Sweden returns after missing 2018. Here, we review the teams, full schedule and betting odds.

World Cup F Group is one of the more interesting groups, as it includes the Netherlands, which is expected to reach the quarter-finals, as well as Japan, which reached the Round of 16 in 2022, and Sweden, which returns to the tournament and can also pleasantly surprise.

Tunisia was unlucky with the draw. There is a strong chance that this national team will finish in last place, but compared with the fourth teams in other groups, Tunisia looks like one of the strongest.

FIFA betting sites odds for winning the group or finishing TOP 2:

Sweden vs Tunisia and Tunisia vs Japan matches will be played in Guadalupe, Mexico, while the other four matches will be played in the United States: Arlington, Houston and Kansas City. Full World Cup Group F schedule:

Group F has the Netherlands as the favorite, but neither Japan nor Sweden should be written off too early here. The group looks like one of the most competitive, so it will be very interesting to see whether Tunisia can bring some chaos and take points from the other teams.

The Netherlands does not have as deep a talent pool as Spain FIFA team or France, but the squad still has enough high-level footballers around whom the entire game is built. Virgil van Dijk, who will celebrate his 35th birthday during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, still plays a major role.

The injuries to Xavi Simons and Matthijs de Ligt are a major loss for the team, but the good news is that Jurrien Timber managed to recover in time.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Netherlands lost in the quarter-finals to future champions Argentina only after penalties. At EURO 2024, it lost 1:2 against England in the semi-final.

The team can compete against the strongest national teams in the world, so it will be very interesting to see how the Netherlands starts the tournament in a strong Group F.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Japan lost to Croatia in the Round of 16 only after penalties, and before the knockout stage, it also managed to beat both Germany and Spain 2:1. If such results were a major surprise four years ago, Japan has now earned respect, and a solid performance at the tournament would no longer be considered a surprise.

At the end of March, Japan played two friendly matches, beating Scotland 1:0 and later defeating England 1:0 at Wembley Stadium.

Japan will be without several important players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino cannot play due to injuries, but both in Group F and across the whole tournament, Japan can be a pleasant surprise.

Sweden was very close to missing another FIFA World Cup but managed to save itself through the additional qualification route. In FIFA World Cup qualification, Sweden competed in Group B, where it finished in last place.

Across six matches against Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia, Sweden did not win once, drew twice and collected only 2 points. Still, Sweden reached the play-offs via the Nations League.

In the additional qualification stage, Sweden beat Ukraine 3:1 and later also defeated Poland 3:2. In the semi-final against Ukraine, Sweden played without Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski, while Viktor Gyokeres scored all three goals.

Sweden arrives at the 2026 World Cup in a very positive mood, with new coach Graham Potter and the aim of at least fighting for a place in the Round of 32.

Tunisia will play at the fourth FIFA World Cup in a row, which clearly reflects the team’s stability, but the results show that there is still not enough talent to compete against the strongest teams in the world.

Tunisia was unlucky with the group, as last place looks likely here, while in other groups Tunisia could bring plenty of chaos. Not much is expected from the team. It may unexpectedly beat one of the teams or play a draw, but one good match should not take the team into the next stage.

FIFA World Cup Group F is one of the most intriguing, as it includes the Netherlands and Japan, from which a solid result is expected in the knockout stage as well. Sweden can also surprise, as its squad has high-level players.

In the Netherlands national team, Virgil van Dijk, Jurrien Timber, Tijjani Reijnders and Frenkie de Jong stand out without any doubt. In attack, a lot depends on Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo.

Japan will play without Kaoru Mitoma, which is a major loss. Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad, Wataru Endo from Liverpool and Takehiro Tomiyasu from Ajax can be highlighted.

In the Sweden national team, attacking talents Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres must be highlighted. Benjamin Nygren and Gabriel Gudmundsson are also notable names.

Ellyes Skhiri, Hannibal Mejbri and Montassar Talbi are among Tunisia’s most important players. Elias Achouri and Rani Khedira are also worth mentioning.

FIFA World Cup Group F is one of the most competitive, as even Tunisia, which could potentially finish fourth, can bring chaos. The Netherlands and Japan are seen as national teams that can go far in the knockout stage, Sweden returns to the FIFA World Cup without any additional pressure, and with individual talent in attack, it can beat any group opponent on a good day.

There are quite a few bets with strong value in this group, but the pick to highlight is Tunisia to finish fourth. The top online bookmakers’ odds of 1.80 are given for this bet. Although the team is quite solid, it lacks stability against higher-level opponents. The group is too strong for Tunisia to finish at least third.

Already on the first day, first and fourth place could potentially start to be decided, as Netherlands vs Japan and Sweden vs Tunisia meet each other. World Cup Group F will be one of those where the biggest intrigue can be expected from the first matches.