The 2026 World Cup continues on BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP with Group F! Netherlands are the market leaders but they are very much beatable and not the force they once were. They face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia – all sides that the Netherlands should beat and they are indeed marginal odds on favourites for Group F Winner; but you do feel that this Group will be very competitive. Whatever your opinion on the Netherlands, genuinely could go any way and it is arguably the most open second place race of any group at the tournament. Something to note for the history books too: the Japan vs Tunisia fixture in Monterrey on June 20th will be the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history.
Group F:
• Netherlands
• Japan
• Sweden
• Tunisia
🇳🇱 Netherlands (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 7th)
The Netherlands qualified by topping UEFA Group G, going unbeaten across eight matches with six wins and two draws against Poland, scoring 27 goals and conceding just four. That Group was reasonably weak though; Poland didn’t make it through the playoffs and have been going backwards for a while now. Ronald Koeman (pictured below) has been manager for a few years now; he has a squad with genuine depth and quality throughout. However, when it’s come to the major tournament they have laboured. They made it to the Quarter-Finals at the last World Cup, but exited to eventual winners Argentina. They had to take a “best third place” spot to get out of the Group at Euro 2024, and then exited to Turkey at the Quarter-Finals again. They are 30.0 to win Outright, and don’t get me wrong – they have all the talent in their squad to do it, but they just seem to fluff their lines at major tournaments. It’ll be interesting to see can they dominate this Group. They are trading around 1.91 to win it.
🇯🇵 Japan (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 18th)
Japan were the first nation outside the three co-hosts to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, booking their place as winners of their AFC group after an extraordinary campaign. They conceded just three goals in sixteen qualifying matches – a stunning defensive record – and scored 54, making them statistically the most dominant side in Asian qualifying history. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the standard is while low compared to the top sides – they faced North Korea, Syria and Myanmar. You can only beat what’s put in front of you, but obviously there’s a big gulf in class there. What was more eye-catching was since then, they have added victories over Brazil and England to their recent collection of scalps against elite opposition. The England win at Wembley might have been a surprise, but it was the first time an Asian nation had ever beaten the Three Lions. The squad depth is impressive, with players across Europe’s top leagues, and the manager has given himself a track record of getting results against teams that everyone expects Japan to lose to. They should not be underestimated.
🇸🇪 Sweden (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 38th)
Sweden’s qualification story is one of the most theatrical at this entire tournament. They were a disaster in their UEFA qualifying group – finishing bottom with just two points and zero wins – and it looked as though wouldn’t be here. However, their escape route was the UEFA Nations League, where Sweden had won their group, granting them a playoff berth. Potter arrived, steadied the ship, and guided them through the playoffs with wins over Ukraine and Poland, Viktor Gyokeres scoring a last-minute winner against Poland to seal qualification in the most dramatic fashion. Obviously Viktor Gyokeres has had an excellent season at Arsenal, and they will need him firing. They have some excellent players, Alexander Isak (pictured below) of Liverpool provides another elite option in attack, Anthony Elanga of Newcastle and Captain Victor Lindelof of Aston Villa anchors the defence. It’s hard to know what to make of them with the qualifying campaign, but Potter is an excellent manager that just didn’t suit Chelsea. The big question is whether the defensive structure is reliable enough to support the explosive attacking options at the other end. Sweden are probably one of the most fascinating sides in the tournament!
🇹🇳 Tunisia (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 44th)
Tunisia topped their CAF qualifying group comfortably, picking up 28 points from a possible 30 with ten wins from ten in their group stage, showing the kind of defensive discipline and organisation that has defined their recent international campaigns. However, a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations followed – they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Mali on penalties – and the decision was taken to change managers. In March friendlies, Tunisia beat Haiti 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Canada, which tells you broadly what you are getting – well organised, hard to break down but they are going to struggle to create chances and score goals. They will set out to be as cagey as possible and mostly play for draws – they are the outsiders here, but in a Group where everyone can take points off each other, you never know where that might get them. Their opener against Sweden on June 14th will tell us a lot – no doubt they will set up to frustrate and nick a result.
GROUP F BETTING PREDICTION
Who Will Top Group F And Who Will Qualify From Group F?
The Netherlands are the marginal odds on favourites to win Group F as I said above, trading around 1.91 to top the group. Japan are their closest challengers at 4.2, Sweden are next at around 6.0 and Tunisia are the outsiders at around 13.5+. The opening day on June 14th is enormous for who will top the Group – Netherlands face Japan in the very first fixture, which is as competitive an opener as any group in the tournament. If Japan repeat their Wembley performance and hold the Dutch or better yet beat them, the group is completely blown open. However, if the Netherlands can win that you’d have to say that sets them up to top it. I know they have fluffed their lines deeper into major tournaments, but I’d have them a little shorter than 1.91 to win Group F. That looks worthy of a small investment.
Sweden v Tunisia in the other opening fixture is equally crucial. Sweden need to win this game – if they drop points here under the pressure of the Group. Tunisia will be very well organised and will look to frustrate. If Potter’s side can get the front two firing from the start, they could actually be very competitive. I do feel this is a Group for small stakes – this is a classic Group where there’s positives and negatives with every side! I’m happy with a small position on the Netherlands.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Netherlands Group F Winner at 1.91 with BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP
