Japan vs Sweden Preview

Thursday night’s Group F showdown at AT&T Stadium sees Japan and Sweden battle it out in a fixture that could define which side progresses from the group and which goes home. With both nations having navigated two matchdays, the stakes could not be higher — a draw may suit Japan while Sweden desperately need all three points to keep their tournament alive.

Japan come into this one with four wins and a draw from their last five outings, and have been one of the more impressive sides on show at this World Cup. Their most recent outing was a commanding 4–0 win away against Tunisia on 21st June, a result that underlined their clinical edge in the final third. Prior to that, they drew 2–2 with the Netherlands in a hard-fought encounter on 14th June. Before that, Japan beat Iceland 1–0 at home in a friendly on 31st May, and earlier in this run, they claimed back-to-back away wins — 1–0 against England on 31st March and 1–0 against Scotland on 28th March. This is a side brimming with confidence and organisation.

Sweden’s situation is more precarious. Their most recent outing ended in a 5–1 hiding away at the Netherlands on 20th June — a result that leaves them with just three points from two games and in need of a win here. Prior to that, they had hammered Tunisia 5–1 at home on 15th June, which offered promise, but the Netherlands result exposed defensive vulnerabilities at the highest level. Earlier in this run, a 2–2 draw with Greece in a friendly on 4th June was followed by a 3–1 defeat away in Norway, and a 3–2 home win over Poland rounds out the sequence. The concern for Sweden is that they struggle to contain quality opposition.

In Group F, Japan sit second on four points — level with the Netherlands — having won one and drawn one from two matches. Sweden are third on three points after one win and one defeat, while Tunisia are bottom with nothing. A Japan win here would all but secure their progress. Sweden must win to have any realistic chance of advancing, making this essentially a knockout tie for the Scandinavians.

The head-to-head record between these two sides offers little help in predicting a winner. Of the last four meetings, Sweden have won once, with the remaining three all ending in draws. Most recently, the sides drew 1–1 when Japan hosted Sweden in May 2002. In the previous encounter, Sweden won 1–0 on Japanese soil in February 1997.

In the UK, the match is live on BBC Two and available to stream via BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Web, with radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live. In Sweden, the game is broadcast on SVT 1 and SVT Play. Japanese viewers can catch the action on ZEE5, while US audiences can follow on FOX Network, Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, or UNIVERSO.

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Lineups & Injuries

Japan (3-4-3) Nakamura, Tomiyasu, Itakura, Suzuki, Ito, Tanaka, Sano, Ito, Kamada, Ueda, Doan

Sweden (3-5-2) Bernhardsson, Lindelöf, Hien, Johansson, Gudmundsson, Ayari, Nygren, Karlström, Lagerbielke, Gyökeres, Isak

Japan: Wataru Endo (Out)

Sweden: No missing players.

Japan are more affected by the absentee situation, with Endo’s absence removing a key presence in the engine room.

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Group F Table

Pos.	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Netherlands	2	1	1	0	7	3	+4	4
2	Japan	2	1	1	0	6	2	+4	4
3	Sweden	2	1	0	1	6	6	0	3
4	Tunisia	2	0	0	2	1	9	-8	0

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Japan Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Tunisia	0–4	Japan	World Cup	21-06-26
🤝	Netherlands	2–2	Japan	World Cup	14-06-26
✅	Japan	1–0	Iceland	Friendly	31-05-26
✅	England	0–1	Japan	Friendly	31-03-26
✅	Scotland	0–1	Japan	Friendly	28-03-26

Sweden Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Netherlands	5–1	Sweden	World Cup	20-06-26
✅	Sweden	5–1	Tunisia	World Cup	15-06-26
🤝	Sweden	2–2	Greece	Friendly	04-06-26
❌	Norway	3–1	Sweden	Friendly	01-06-26
✅	Sweden	3–2	Poland	World Cup	31-03-26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Japan	1–1	Sweden	Friendly	25-05-02
Japan	0–1	Sweden	Friendly	13-02-97
Japan	1–1	Sweden	Friendly	22-02-96
Japan	2–2	Sweden	Friendly	10-06-95

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ireland Republic	BBC Two, RTE 2, BBC iPlayer, RTE Player, BBC Radio 5 Live
Sweden	SVT 1, SVT Play, Discovery+
Japan	ZEE5
USA	FOX Network, Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO
Germany	MagentaTV
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand
Canada	TSN2, TSN+, RDS 2
France	beIN Sports 2, myCANAL
Netherlands	NPO 3, NPO Start