- Netherlands form: Netherlands have two wins, two draws, and a defeat across their last five matches.
- Japan form: Japan have seven wins, two draws, and a loss in their last 10 games.
Dutch dominators take on the Blue Samurai
Netherlands approach
Netherlands will kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group F campaign against Hajime Moriyasu's Japan on Sunday, in a game that represents a clash of styles between a team that dominates the ball and a side that dominates players in transitions.
Ronald Koeman has introduced a modern Dutch identity since taking the helm in January 2023, with his 4-3-3 system giving the Netherlands a flexible base to overload wide areas and build a possession-based identity around. His team have been in mixed form of late, however, with a 1-1 home draw against Ecuador and a narrow 0-1 home defeat to Algeria, punctuating the run-up to the World Cup.
Japan approach
Moriyasu, on the other hand, has instilled a high-tempo, high-energy identity since 2018. The Blue Samurai operate from a 3-center-back formation, pressing and countering in numbers, and their collective pressing ability and discipline at the back have served them well in recent games.
Japan are the most in-form team in the field, and their winning mentality is unlikely to waver when they take on the Netherlands on Sunday. The Samurai Blue have won all five of their games in their last five matches, including a 1-0 win away to Scotland and a 1-0 win at England, before their most recent home victory by the same scoreline over Iceland in March 2026.
Dutch to win?
The gap between the two seems a little wide, considering that Netherlands have just one defeat in their last ten games, while Japan have only one in the same period.
As such, the draw and both teams to score, priced up at 1.77, seem like a viable option.
Koeman's team have struggled to break down compact teams such as Algeria in recent outings, and this game is a test of patience and persistence for the Dutch, who will need to work to open up the visitors.
Japan's last three games have been won by a 1-0 scoreline, so they have enough quality to score a goal on the counter-attack and stop the Netherlands from taking all three points.
- The odds suggest that the Dutch are marginal favorites for this game, coming in at 1.96, while Japan are listed at 4.0 and the draw at 3.72.
- On home soil, Netherlands have won two, drawn one, and lost one of their last four games, while Japan have won both of their last two games on the road.
- Japan have conceded just two goals in away matches, an average of 0.5 per game, while Koeman's side have only conceded four times in their last seven at home.
