FIFA World Cup 2026: Japan and Sweden draw as Netherlands defeat Tunisia to advance to knockout stage

Japan and Sweden drew 1-1, while the Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 to close out their Group F matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Japan and Sweden battled to a 0-0 draw in the first half before the game roared back to life after the break.

Japan broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Daizen Maeda finished from close range after a nice assist from Ritsu Doan.

Sweden responded six minutes later when Anthony Elanga equalized in the 62nd minute with a neat finish from Viktor Gyökeres’ pass.

Both teams looked for the winning goal in the closing stages, but neither could find the breakthrough and the match ended 1-1.

The draw was enough for both teams to advance to the round of 32.

Japan will face Brazil in the round of 32, while Sweden awaits confirmation of their round of 32 opponent, which will be decided after the completion of the remaining group matches

Meanwhile, the Netherlands started strongly against Tunisia, opening the scoring in the third minute after Ellyes Skhiri put the ball in his own net.

The Dutch doubled their lead just four minutes later when Brian Brobbey converted Virgil van Dijk’s pass to give his team a 2-0 lead before half-time.

Tunisia reduced the deficit in the 54th minute through Houssem Mastouri, who finished well following an assist from Hannibal Mejbri, raising hopes of a comeback.

However, the Netherlands restored their two-goal lead in the 63rd minute when Jan Paul van Hecke found the back of the net to seal a deserved 3-1 victory.

The result allowed the Netherlands to advance to the round of 32, while Tunisia was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing bottom with zero points.