Japan vs Sweden Preview, Betting Offer, How to Watch & Bet on World Cup 2026 Matches
Joe Casey
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There are some intriguing final group fixtures at the World Cup and Sweden's meeting with Japan in Dallas promises to be one of the most fascinating.
Sweden's first two games in Group F have yielded contrasting emotions. The Swedes were joyous following a somewhat unexpected 5-1 rout of Tunisia in their opening game. But joy turned to despair in their second outing as the Netherlands beat them by the same scoreline in Houston.
The scoreline was perhaps a tad harsh on Graham Potter's men, who had 21 shots against the Dutch, but they were far too open at the back and were undone by balls across the box far too often. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres have looked dangerous in tandem but Potter will need to shore things up at the back if Sweden are to make an impact in the knockouts.
That is if they make the last 32 at all. Their current total of three points may be enough to sneak through as a third-placed finisher, but they would much rather beat Japan in their final fixture and secure a top-two finish in Group F. That will be easier said than done, though. Japan came into the tournament with lofty expectations and they have impressed in taking four points from their first two matches.
Japan twice came back from behind to draw 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opener, a result which looks even better in light of Sweden’s 5-1 mauling at the hands of the Dutch, and they followed that with a routine 4-0 win over section also-rans Tunisia. So they only need a draw to cement a top-two finish but Hajime Moriyasu would love to top the section, which they will do if they better the Netherlands' result against Tunisia.
The Samurai Blue have won seven of their last nine games since losing 2-0 to the USA last September and have beaten Brazil, England and Scotland in that time. That is in stark contrast to a Sweden side who took just two points from six qualifiers but managed to scrape into the finals with playoff wins over Ukraine and Poland after Potter replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson.
The pair of playoff wins and their 5-1 success over Tunisia have been rare bright spots, however, and while they arguably have better individuals than Japan, the Samurai Blue are a collective in every sense of the word and are a far more reliable betting proposition. Japan striker Ayase Ueda scored twice in the 4-0 win over Tunisia in a continuation of a fine season for the 27-year-old, who scored 25 goals for his club during the 2025-26 campaign.
Sweden struggled to deal with balls into the box against the Dutch and the Feyenoord marksman could be the perfect man to capitalise if the Swedes have not learned their lesson.
Japan vs Sweden Predicted Line-ups
Japan (3-4-3)
Zion Suzuki; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ko Itakura, Hiroki Ito; Ritsu Doan, Keito Sano, Ao Tanaka, Keito Nakamura; Junya Ito, Ayase Ueda, Daichi Kamada
Sweden (3-4-1-2)
Kristoffer Nordfeldt; Gustaf Lagerbielke, Isak Hien, Victor Lindelof; Anthony Elanga, Jesper Karlstrom, Yasin Ayari, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Lucas Bergvall; Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak
