Japan and the Netherlands traded goals as a promising Group F opener to the 2026 World Cup delivered the goods and then some from Dallas Stadium in Texas.

Ronald Koeman's side were too safe in their draw with Japan. Qualification should still be a formality but they have issues to address

The opening match in Group F sees the three-time World Cup runner-up Netherlands take on one of the darlings of the 2022 tournament, Japan.

Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.

Group F features the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia, giving the Dutch a difficult but manageable path as the top seed. Netherlands is favored at -125, Japan follows at +275, Sweden is +500, and Tunisia is the longshot at +1200 in one of the more ...

Group F at the 2026 World Cup wrapped up with heart-stopping action, sending three teams through and setting up some jaw-dropping playoff matchups. The Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden all advance after a group stage packed with goals,

We continue the final round of group stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as teams look to book their spots into the next round.

Over in Dallas, Japan and Sweden are still level at nil-nil in the 15th minute. That's the 12th own goal of the 2026 World Cup. And surely, a new tournament record is pending. The Netherlands are running away with it at the top of Group F, making it two-nil after just seven minutes.