2026 World Cup Group F Guide: Teams, schedule, key player

This summer's World Cup will be the biggest ever tournament with 48 teams heading to the USA, Canada and Mexico for what's set to be a memorable month of action. 

A tough Group F sees the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and a European qualifier thrown in together to battle it out for advancement into the knockouts.

DAZN News takes a look at Group F, examining the teams, players and big games across the opening stage of World Cup 2026. 

World Cup Group Guides 

• Group A 
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E
• Group F
• Group G
• Group H
• Group I
• Group J
• Group K
• Group L 

DAZN/FIFA

Group F - at a glance 

• Netherlands
• Japan
• Sweden 
• Tunisia

Fixtures

Predicted qualifiers

The Netherlands will be strong favourites to top this group, but the battle for second place could be an interesting one. Japan showed their potential in the March friendlies, and Sweden and Tunisia are both capable of beating each other. 

The Teams

Netherlands 

World Ranking: 7
Best World Cup result: Runners-up, 1974, 1978, 2010

Always a threat in major tournaments, the Oranje hope to finally get over the last hurdle to win their first World Cup.

Boasting a mouth-watering array of talent from some of the top clubs in the world, the Netherlands look to top the group and cause problems in the knockouts.

They topped a tricky qualification group to secure their spot in North America, and now the Oranje can focus on an extended run through this summer's tournament.

Key man - Virgil van Dijk

Amid a dizzying amount of attacking talent, the central defender stands tall as a key figure in Netherlands' aspirations.

Manager - Ronald Koeman 

A longtime Netherland player, Koeman has transitioned to management with stops at Benfica, PSV, Everton and Barcelona. This is his second stint in charge of the Oranje.

Getty Images

Japan

World Ranking: 19
Best World Cup: Round of 16, 2002, 2010, 2018, 2022

The past 30 years have seen a meteoric rise from the Japanese, who did not even play a World Cup game until 1998.

Since then, the Samurai Blue have qualified for every tournament, and their results have been steady but unspectacular. Last-16 exits in 2018 and 2022 have left Japan eager to go at least one step further this time around.

Key man - Ritsu Dōan

He's represented Japan at every level, and in 2026 Dōan appears ready to take on the mantle of star man after a two-goal performance at Qatar 2022. 

Manager - Hajime Moriyasu

Moriyasu amassed 35 caps for Japan before the end of his playing career, and as a manager he's been in charge of the Samurai Blue since 2018. The 57-year-old was previously in charge at his first club, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, before taking over Japan's U23 side in 2017.

(C)Getty Images

Sweden 

World Ranking: 43
Best World Cup: Runners-up, 1958 

Sweden will be your future quiz answer when posed the question, which team qualified for the 2026 World Cup without winning a single qualifying game, so bank that one now. 

Thanks to the Swedes Nations League performance, they earned a play-off spot through the back door and overcame Ukraine and then Poland to book their spot in North America. 

Yet, the side might be more dangerous than their path to the finals suggests, especially in attack, where a fit Alexander Isak could be a star of the group. 

If they can get out of the group, then they'll be looking to try and repeat the feats Sweden managed the last time they participated in a World Cup stateside in 1994. 

Key man - Viktor Gyökeres

If Isak isn't fit, the onus will be on the Arsenal man to deliver, something he did in a big way in the play-offs, scoring four times across the two games. 

Manager  - Graham Potter 

Here's one we didn't see at the start of the season. After being sacked by West Ham, Potter went back to Sweden, where he made his name and will now manage the national team at the World Cup. 

Tunisia

World Ranking: 47
Best World Cup: Group stage, 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022 

This will be Tunisia's third consecutive World Cup after the African side failed to qualify in 2010 and 2014.

The Eagles of Carthage will look to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their history, allthough a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations shows that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Tunisia easily topped their qualifying group, but the level of difficulty will be ramped up this summer in North America.

Key man - Ellyes Skhiri

With 79 international caps to his name, Skhiri is one of the most experienced players at Tunisia's disposal. A veteran of Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, the 30-year-old remains an important part of Eintrachth Frankfurt's midfield.

Manager - Sabri Lamouchi

Lamouchi was hired after Tunisia's last-16 exit at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, taking over from Sami Trabelsi. The former France international has managerial experience with Ivory Coast, Rennes, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, among others.

Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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