World Cup Group F: Teams, Fixtures, Predictions & Odds

Group F at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has the potential to be one of the most interesting at the tournament. While the Netherlands are expected to win the group, there isn't an awful lot to split the other three teams in the group.

There are just 25 places in the FIFA World Rankings between Japan, Sweden and Tunisia, which sets us up for a fascinating group, particularly when you consider the Netherlands are hardly an immovable force.

Football Whispers breaks down Group F in full, including fixtures, latest odds and predictions.

Group F winner odds

• Netherlands- 8/11
• Japan- 7/2
• Sweden – 9/2
• Tunisia- 7/1

The Netherlands are the odds-on favourites to win Group F, which is perfectly fair when you consider some of the names in their squad, such as Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong.

Beyond that, there is barely anything to split Japan and Sweden, but don't count out Tunisia, who went unbeaten in qualifying for the tournament.

Group F qualification odds

• Netherlands- 1/12
• Japan- 3/10
• Sweden – 2/5
• Tunisia- 5/4

As we know, there is room for eight of the best 12 third-placed teams to qualify from the group stages this year, so it would be a monumental shock if the Netherlands crashed out early. There is a world where all three of the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden all make it through, but the lack of an obvious sacrificial lamb in Group F will make that more complicated.

Group F fixtures: Match-by-match schedule

Gameweek 1

• Netherlands vs Japan
  • Netherlands: 19/20
  • Draw: 13/5
  • Japan: 13/5
    
• Sweden vs Tuniaia
  • Sweden: 10/11
  • Draw: 23/10
  • Tunisia: 3/1

Gameweek 2

• Netherlands vs Sweden
  • Netherlands: TBC
  • Draw: TBC
  • Sweden: TBC
    
• Tunisia vs Japan
  • Tunisia: TBC
  • Draw: TBC
  • Japan: TBC

Gameweek 3

• Japan vs Sweden
  • Japan: TBC
  • Draw: TBC
  • Sweden: TBC
    
• Tunisia vs Netherlands
  • Tunisia: TBC
  • Draw: TBC
  • Netherlands: TBC

2026 World Cup Group F predictions and betting angles

Netherlands

The Netherlands will once again go searching for their first-ever World Cup triumph this summer, but they are not among the favourites to win the tournament this time around.

Four years ago, they made it through to the quarter-finals before cruelly losing on penalties to Argentina. Meanwhile, at Euro 2024, they lost in the dying minutes of their semi-final with England.

It feels as if a quarter-final is this group's ceiling at a World Cup, particularly with key players getting older and others out of form or suffering from injury problems.

At 8/11, they are not worth taking on to win the group, particularly as Japan and Sweden are more than capable of causing them problems.

Japan

Several members of this Japan squad are accustomed to being part of difficult World Cup groups. After being placed alongside Spain and Germany at Qatar in 2022, Japan made it through as group winners, proving their credentials at this level.

They will be the team that the Netherlands fear most in Group F, and looking at things directly from a Netherlands vs Japan perspective, they match up well with Ronald Koeman's side.

Japan's strengths are in wide areas. Kaoru Mitoma has recently returned from injury and will play off the left, while Takefusa Kubo is equally as dangerous on the opposite side.

Japan to win the group at 7/2 is excellent value and should be considered.

Sweden

This will be Sweden's first appearance at a World Cup since 2018 after failing to qualify for Qatar, but that has given them eight years to develop a group of players that can give a good account of themselves this summer.

Their route to the World Cup has been unusual to say the least. They won none of their six qualifying matches and picked up just two points, but were ultimately bailed out by their Nations League performance, which earned them a place in the playoffs.

Victories over Ukraine and Poland earned Graham Potter's side a place at the tournament, and they certainly have the players to cause some damage in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

It's impossible to ignore the qualities of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres at the top of the pitch, and Potter simply has to find a way to get both men in the starting XI.

Tunisia

Tunisia's World Cup qualifying performances were at the opposite end of the spectrum to Sweden's. The Eagles of Carthage picked up 28 points from a possible 30 in their qualifying group, making it to the finals with ease.

Despite that, Tunisia made the bold decision to change managers earlier this year following a poor Africa Cup of Nations campaign, which resulted in a shock round of 16 defeat to Mali.

Sami Trabelsi has been replaced by Sabri Lamouchi in the hot seat, and if early performances are anything to go by, they are going to be difficult to break down this summer.

Final Group F prediction

1. Japan
2. Netherlands
3. Sweden
4. Tunisia

Group E best bets

Japan to win Group F at 7/2 is our top tip. Their performances at Qatar 2022 were brilliant, while their form coming into the tournament is equally as good – five consecutive wins, including scalps over Brazil and England.

Read our best World Cup betting tips and strategies