Get daily 2026 World Cup picks and expert predictions for Group F. Get updated odds, best bets, and more for every single match.
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Sweden's Alexander Isak celebrates a goal. Group F takes center stage on Sunday, with two intriguing opening matches that could go a long way toward determining who advances to the knockout rounds.
The Netherlands begin their campaign against a disciplined Japan side, while Sweden face Tunisia in a matchup featuring two teams with realistic hopes of finishing in the top two. Height — or a lack thereof — is what makes this such a difficult matchup for Japan. The shortest team on average in the 2026 World Cup, Japan’s roster averages a hair over 5-foot-10 in height. The Dutch average a half-inch shy of 6-foot-2, and they use it to their advantage.
Manager Ronald Koeman spoke this spring about using set pieces to their advantage, going as far as hiring a specialist to help improve their attacking set pieces. Captain Virgil van Dijk stands 6-foot-4, as do fellow defender Micky van de Ven and forward Cody Gakpo. Let’s not forget the 6-foot-2 Denzel Dumfries and 6-foot-6 Wout Weghorst off the bench.
Japan has just two players on the roster who stand taller than 6-foot-1, and one is a forward who isn’t a regular starter. Making matters worse, their central midfield took a massive blow on Thursday with the abrupt retirement of captain Wataru Endo due to injury. But on Sunday, the Dutch have a clear path to victory through the air.
That’s the difference in a matchup of two elite defenses and why I’m backing the Dutch to win up to -110 as my best play. Under new manager Graham Potter, Sweden won both of their play-off matches in March to secure a somewhat surprising place at the World Cup. Why surprising? Because they collected just one point from the five qualifying matches they played before the play-offs.
Sweden reinvented itself in the play-offs and showed that their nightmare run was firmly behind them. They will also be relying on a fruitful partnership between Arsenal's Viktor Gyökeres and Liverpool's Alexander Isak to lead the attack. Tunisia, meanwhile, should be concerned, as they have struggled for form in recent months. Their final result before the World Cup was a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in a friendly.
That followed a 1-0 loss to Austria, a goalless draw with Canada, and an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Haiti. That's hardly impressive. Having watched the match against Belgium, I was left with the impression that Tunisia is not ready for the challenge ahead. Even though Sweden is no longer as feared as they once were, they should still have enough quality to get the job done and claim their first three points of the 2026 World Cup.
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