Netherlands vs Japan Preview

Group F serves up one of its marquee opening fixtures on Sunday evening as the Netherlands meet Japan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. With Sweden and Tunisia completing the group, both sides will be acutely aware that a win here could establish early control over the group’s direction.

The Netherlands come into this tournament opener having been in solid if occasionally inconsistent pre-tournament form. Their most recent outing produced a 2–1 home win over Uzbekistan — a composed final tune-up just six days before kick-off. Prior to that, they suffered a 1–0 home defeat to Algeria — a result that will have sharpened focus in the camp. Before that, they drew 1–1 at home against Ecuador. Earlier in this run, they beat Norway 2–1 at home in a competitive friendly, and the sequence began with a 4–0 home rout of Lithuania. Three wins, a draw and a defeat — the Netherlands are a side with clear quality but one that has shown vulnerability at home to organised opposition. Gakpo, Malen and Summerville provide genuine pace and threat in the final third, while Van Dijk’s leadership at the back remains a crucial element of their defensive structure.

Japan arrive at this World Cup in nothing short of outstanding form — five wins from five matches, unbeaten across the entire pre-tournament stretch. Their most recent outing was a 1–0 home win over Iceland, continuing a remarkable sequence. Prior to that, they produced arguably the most eye-catching pre-tournament result of any nation at this World Cup, winning 1–0 away at England at Wembley. Before that, they won 1–0 away in Scotland. Earlier in this run, they thumped Bolivia 3–0 at home, and the sequence began with a 2–0 home win over Ghana. Five wins, five clean sheets — Japan head into this World Cup as one of the most defensively organised and form-laden sides in the entire tournament. Their ability to win ugly, grind out results, and hurt opponents on the counter makes them a genuinely dangerous proposition for any side in the group.

The head-to-head record favours the Netherlands, who have won two of the three recorded meetings, with one draw and no wins for Japan. All three encounters were played on Dutch or neutral soil. Most recently, the sides drew 2–2 at home in November 2013. In the previous encounter, the Netherlands won 1–0 in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.

This is one of the most intriguing Group F matchups. The Netherlands carry more individual quality across the pitch and will be expected to dominate possession, but Japan’s defensive discipline and ability to win on the road — as demonstrated against England and Scotland — makes them a serious threat. A tight, tactical contest is likely, with Japan’s counter-attacking speed capable of punishing any defensive lapses from the Dutch.

In the Netherlands, the match is live on NPO 1 and available to stream via NPO Start, with Ziggo Go also carrying the action. In Japan, viewers can watch on DAZN Japan and NHK G TV. In the UK and Ireland, the game is available on ITV 1 and ITVX, with STV and STV Player also carrying the fixture in Scotland.

Possible Lineups 

Netherlands (4-3-3) Flekken, Van de Ven, Van Dijk, van Hecke, Dumfries, Reijnders, De Jong, Gravenberch, Gakpo, Malen, Summerville

Japan (3-4-2-1) Suzuki, Ito, Itakura, Tomiyasu, Nakamura, Kamada, Tanaka, Döan, Ito, Kubo, Ueda

Group F

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Tunisia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Netherlands Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Netherlands	2 – 1	Uzbekistan	International Friendly	Jun 8, 2026
❌	Netherlands	0 – 1	Algeria	International Friendly	Jun 3, 2026
🤝	Netherlands	1 – 1	Ecuador	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
✅	Netherlands	2 – 1	Norway	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
✅	Netherlands	4 – 0	Lithuania	International Friendly	Nov 17, 2025

Japan Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Japan	1 – 0	Iceland	International Friendly	May 31, 2026
✅	England	0 – 1	Japan	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
✅	Scotland	0 – 1	Japan	International Friendly	Mar 28, 2026
✅	Japan	3 – 0	Bolivia	International Friendly	Nov 18, 2025
✅	Japan	2 – 0	Ghana	International Friendly	Nov 14, 2025

Head to Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Netherlands	2 – 2	Japan	International Friendly	Nov 16, 2013
Netherlands	1 – 0	Japan	World Cup	Jun 19, 2010
Netherlands	3 – 0	Japan	International Friendly	Sep 5, 2009

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Netherlands	NPO 1, Ziggo Go, NPO Start, Canal+ Netherlands
Japan	DAZN Japan, NHK G TV, NHK BS Premium 4K
Great Britain	ITV 1, ITVX, STV, STV Player
Ireland	ITV 1, RTE 2, ITVX, RTE Player
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Germany	ORF eins, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
France	M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, Molotov
Brazil	SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, CazéTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, CTV App
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand