Welcome to The Athletic’s 2026 World Cup tactical group guides, walking you through the key battles on the pitch, the players to look out for, and the fun facts to impress your friends ahead of the tournament.In this article, we will break down Group F, containing the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.With no previous world champions among them, but plenty of international pedigree, this feels like a group of dark horses.The Dutch, quarter-finalists in 2022 and ranked seventh in the world by FIFA, will be favourites to progress. Their biggest challenge is likely to come from Japan, who became the first side to secure their place at the tournament in March last year after breezing through their qualifying group.By contrast, Sweden stuttered their way into the tournament via the play-offs, but the squad is not short of talent, particularly in forward areas. Tunisia are the rank outsiders. In five previous World Cup appearances, they have never progressed beyond the group stage.The gamesMatchday one
Sunday, June 14: Netherlands vs Japan (4pm ET, 1pm PT, 9pm BST) — AT&T Stadium, Dallas
Sunday, June 14: Sweden vs Tunisia (10pm ET, 7pm PT, 3am Monday BST) — Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
Matchday two
