The Netherlands take on Japan in Group Fs curtain-raiser on Sunday, in one of the most eye-catching fixtures of the 2026 World Cup so far.The AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, will supply the backdrop for a game between arguably the greatest nation yet to win footballs biggest prize and many peoples pick for tournament dark horses. The Oranje, under the stewardship of legendary defender Ronald Koeman, will be looking to go deep into the competition having experienced mixed fortunes in recent editions from runners-up in 2010 to third-place in 2014; not qualifying in 2018 to a last-eight appearance four years later. But they will meet a Japanese side in scintillating form. The Samurai Blue breezed through qualifying to reach their eighth-straight finals, scoring more than 50 goals in the process. Recent friendly results have only further bolstered belief, with six wins on the bounce, including notable victories over Brazil and England.Table of ContentsNetherlands team newsJapan team newsWhere to watch Netherlands v JapanStats for Netherlands v JapanNetherlands team newsThe Netherlands boss sticks with the same starting team that beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in the Netherlands final pre-tournament friendly. Memphis Depay, who is fit again, starts on the bench.Netherlands XI: Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Gravenberch, De Jong, Summerville, Reijnders, Gakpo, Malen. Japan team newsNine of the Japan starting eleven started in the victory over England at Wembley back in March. Takefusa Kubo and Daizen Maeda come in for Junya Ito and the injured Kaoru Mitoma. Japan XI: Z. Suzuki; Watanabe, Taniguchi, H. Ito, Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura, Kubo, Maeda, Ueda.Where to watch Netherlands v JapanNetherlands versus Japan kicks off on Sunday at 9pm UK time. You can watch it on ITV 1 and stream via ITVX.ClickHEREfor a full World Cup TV guideStats for Netherlands v JapanThis will be the Netherlands 12th World Cup appearance. No other team has finished runner-up as often as the Dutch without ever winning the trophy (three times 1974, 1978, 2010).The Netherlands have won 54.5% of their matches at the World Cup (30 out of 55, shoot-outs excluded) and only Brazil (66.7%) and Germany (60.7%) have a higher win rate in the history of the tournament. The Dutch are also only four away from reaching 100 goals at the World Cup.Excluding penalty shootouts, the Netherlands have lost only one of their last 19 World Cup matches (W14 D4). That sole defeat came in the 2010 final against Spain (0-1 after extra time). Meanwhile, their last loss in a group stage match dates back to 1994, a 0-1 defeat to Belgium.This will be Japans eighth consecutive World Cup appearance a run stretching back to 1998. Its the second-longest run of consecutive participations by an Asian nation behind KoreaRepublics current run of 11 consecutive World Cup tournaments.Japan have never advanced beyond the round of 16 at the World Cup. In fact, they hold the record for the most matches played without ever reaching the quarter-finals at the tournament (25).Japan scored more goals than any other team in the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup they found the net 54 times, which included a 3-0 forfeit victory against North Korea. Outside of thehosts, Japan were the first nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Japan National Football Team Netherlands National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026: Germany vs Curacao confirmed line-ups and full teams 101 GreatGoals 14th June, 2026 Saudi Arabia v Uruguay: Line-ups, stats and preview as Bielsas men aim to avoid upset Nicholas McGee 14th June, 2026 Four years on, can Lionel Messi drag Argentina to another World Cup title? Mitch Fretton 13th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 14th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 14th June, 2026 Scotland 1-0 Haiti: World Cup 2026 report, result, goals as McGinn strike and Gannon-Doak belief help Tartan Army earn first win at finals since 1990 Ben Miller 14th June, 2026
