WC 2026 Group F Guide: Squads and Fixtures

The 2026 World Cup Group F stands out as one of the most competitive groups of the tournament. The Netherlands, three-time World Cup runners-up but never having taken the cup to its museum, is trying not to settle for a fourth runner-up finish under the leadership of Virgil van Dijk. Japan signs its eighth consecutive World Cup participation while completing the Asian qualifiers in first place by a wide margin. Sweden under Graham Potter's management came to the first World Cup since 2018 by beating Poland 3-2 in the play-off final; the duo of Alexander Isak (Liverpool) and Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal) is considered one of the most fearsome attacking duo candidates of the tournament. Tunisia, on the other hand, became the first team in World Cup history to complete the entire qualifying process unbeaten and without conceding a goal by getting 9 wins, 1 draw and zero goals conceded in 10 matches in CAF Group H. The group's matches will be played in the US cities of Arlington (Dallas), Houston, Kansas City and the Mexican city of Monterrey.

Team Profiles and Announced Squads

🇳🇱 Netherlands (Manager: Ronald Koeman) Koeman has taken the Netherlands to the World Cup in his second term in charge of the national team. The manager, who previously could not pass the 2018 and EURO 2016 qualifiers, brought a Premier League-heavy squad with him this time: 15 players play in clubs in the English league. The Netherlands, which advanced to the semi-final at EURO 2024, is without its main star player due to Xavi Simons tearing his ACL in April under Tottenham. Memphis Depay returned in time from a hamstring injury and took place in the squad with his 55 international goals as the team's top scorer. Jurriën Timber was added to the squad as a controversial decision in his recovery process; Jeremie Frimpong was excluded. Matthijs de Ligt also could not enter the squad as he has not played since November.

• Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland)
• Defenders: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool — captain), Denzel Dumfries (Inter), Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Jurriën Timber (Arsenal), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea)
• Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Marten de Roon (Atalanta — recalled after two years), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Mats Wieffer (Brighton & Hove Albion), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham United)
• Forwards: Memphis Depay (Corinthians — 55 international goals, all-time top scorer), Wout Weghorst (Ajax), Donyell Malen (Roma), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Brian Brobbey (Sunderland)

🇯🇵 Japan (Manager: Hajime Moriyasu) Moriyasu is going to his second World Cup at the helm of Japan. The Samurai Blue, which completed the Asian qualifiers in first place by a wide margin, had beaten Germany and Spain at Qatar 2022 and advanced to the round of 16 and lost to Croatia on penalties. Kaoru Mitoma, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, could not be included in the squad as he suffered a hamstring injury against Wolverhampton in mid-May; Takumi Minamino (ACL) and Hidemasa Morita also did not take place in the list. The 39-year-old Yuto Nagatomo will become the first player in Japanese history to break this record by going to his fifth consecutive World Cup.

• Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Daiya Maekawa (Cerezo Osaka), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
• Defenders: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal — return from injury), Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo — 39, 5th consecutive WC), Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton), Hayao Kawabe (Standard Liège), Daiki Hashioka (Luton Town), Kota Takai (Tokyo Verdy)
• Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Liverpool — captain), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Hiroki Sakai, Junya Ito (Reims), Reo Hatate (Celtic)
• Forwards: Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Shuto Machino (Holstein Kiel)

🇸🇪 Sweden (Manager: Graham Potter) Sweden entered the play-offs through the Nations League rankings after completing the qualifying group in last place. Former Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham coach Graham Potter took office last year. After beating Ukraine 3-1 in the March play-off semi-final and the match where Gyökeres scored a hat-trick, Sweden reached the first World Cup since 2018 by beating Poland 3-2 on March 31, 2026 at Stockholm Friends Arena with Gyökeres's goal in the 88th minute in the final. The Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres duo forms one of the strongest attacking lines of the tournament; Dejan Kulusevski could not enter the squad due to long-term injury.

• Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK Solna), Jacob Widell Zetterström (Derby County)
• Defenders: Victor Lindelöf (captain, 75 caps), Gustaf Lagerbielke, Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Daniel Svensson, Elliot Stroud, Carl Starfelt, Isak Hien (Atalanta), Emil Holm, Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Eric Smith (St. Pauli)
• Midfielders: Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham Hotspur), Jesper Karlström, Yasin Ayari (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mattias Svanberg, Besfort Zeneli, Ken Sema
• Forwards: Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal — qualifying play-off hero, hat-trick + final goal), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle United), Gustaf Nilsson, Benjamin Nygren, Taha Ali, Alexander Bernhardsson

🇹🇳 Tunisia (Manager: Sabri Lamouchi) Tunisia under Sami Trabelsi got 9 wins and 1 draw in 10 matches in qualifiers, scored 22 goals and conceded zero — became the first team in World Cup history to go unbeaten and without conceding a goal in an entire qualifying process. However, Trabelsi resigned in January 2026 when he was eliminated by Mali on penalties in the round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations; in his place, the French-Algerian Sabri Lamouchi was brought on a 2.5-year contract on January 14, 2026. Lamouchi had previously managed Rennes, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City; he was the manager who took Ivory Coast to the 2014 World Cup. Tunisia signs its third consecutive World Cup participation; it has never advanced to the round of 16 in tournament history.

• Goalkeepers: Aymen Dahmen (Servette), Bechir Ben Said (Lugano), Noureddine Farhati (Étoile du Sahel)
• Defenders: Ali Abdi (Caen — 8 goals in qualifying process, top scorer), Mortadha Ben Ouanes, Yassine Meriah, Dylan Bronn, Montassar Talbi, Hamza Mathlouthi, Wajdi Kechrida, Mohamed Drager
• Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt — captain, 81 caps), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley — 23, 44 caps), Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City), Aïssa Laïdouni (Union Berlin), Rani Khedira (Union Berlin — Sami Khedira's younger brother), Ferjani Sassi, Adem Saad (Hannover 96)
• Forwards: Khalil Ayari (Paris Saint-Germain — 21), Naïm Sliti (Al-Ettifaq), Elias Saad (St. Pauli), Issam Jebali, Hazem Mastouri, Sayfallah Ltaief, Firas Chaouat, Wahbi Khazri, Houssem Tka

Group F Fixtures (Local Time)

Matchday 1 — Sunday, June 14, 2026

• Netherlands vs Japan | AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas/Texas) | 15:00 (local CT)
• Sweden vs Tunisia | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (Mexico) | 20:00 (local CT — Mexico)

Matchday 2 — Saturday, June 20, 2026

• Netherlands vs Sweden | NRG Stadium, Houston | 12:00 (local CT)
• Tunisia vs Japan | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (Mexico) | 22:00 (local CT — Mexico)

Matchday 3 — Thursday, June 25, 2026

• Japan vs Sweden | AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas/Texas) | 18:00 (local CT)
• Tunisia vs Netherlands | GEHA Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City | 18:00 (local CT)

The group winner and runner-up will advance directly to the round of 32, while the third-placed team will be evaluated based on the performance of the third-place teams of other groups. The 8 best third-place teams will also join the round of 32.

Europe and Turkey Times

Sunday, June 14, 2026

• Netherlands - Japan: 22:00 CEST | 23:00 TST
• Sweden - Tunisia: 04:00 CEST (June 15) | 05:00 TST (June 15)

Saturday, June 20, 2026

• Netherlands - Sweden: 19:00 CEST | 20:00 TST
• Tunisia - Japan: 06:00 CEST (June 21) | 07:00 TST (June 21)

Thursday, June 25, 2026

• Japan - Sweden: 01:00 CEST (June 26) | 02:00 TST (June 26)
• Tunisia - Netherlands: 01:00 CEST (June 26) | 02:00 TST (June 26)

Image: www.mlssoccer.com