2026 World Cup: The Netherlands Advances with a Win. Japan, Sweden, and Australia Are Through with Draws; Paraguay Holds Out Hope. Turkey Bids Farewell with a Smile
The final results are in for Groups F and D of the 2026 World Cup. Group F has officially qualified the Netherlands and Japan, with Sweden advancing to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-place finishers; in the other group, in addition to the United States—which had already qualified as group winner—and Turkey (despite defeating the U.S.)—which was already eliminated after two matches—Australia has also qualified, while third-place Paraguay must wait for the results from the other groups.
In Group F, the Netherlands had no trouble defeating Tunisia as well: up by two goals in less than ten minutes (an own goal by Shkiri in the 3rd minute, a goal by Brobbey in the 7th minute), the Oranje had a brief lapse early in the second half, conceding a goal to Mastouri in the 52nd minute, but restored their two-goal lead in the 62nd minute with a goal by Van Hecke, for a final score of 3-1 that secured first place with 7 points. Tunisia ended the tournament on a sour note with zero points.
Japan and Sweden, meanwhile, could not be separated, finishing in a 1-1 draw: Maeda put the Samurai Blue ahead in the 56th minute, and Elanga equalized with a great left-footed shot in the 62nd minute. With 5 points total, the Japanese finish in second place, while the Swedes are third but have already secured a spot among the top eight third-place teams without having to wait for other results.
In Group D, Paraguay and Australia drew, a result that certainly satisfies the Socceroos and could still see the Albirroja advance. The Australian national team finished the group stage in second place with 4 points; the South Americans finished with the same number of points but, with the head-to-head record tied, had a worse goal difference (zero versus -2).
Finally, Turkey’s 3-2 victory over the host United States proved inconsequential, as the Americans’ early lead—scored by Trusty in the 3rd minute—was not enough. Vincenzo Montella’s team came back with goals from Arda Güler in the 10th minute and Burak Yilmaz in the 31st minute; they were tied by Berhalter in the 49th minute but scored the decisive 3-2 goal in the 98th minute, courtesy of Kaan Ayhan. Three meaningless points, as the Turks remain in last place. The U.S., as previously reported, leads the group with 6 points.
As for the Round of 16 matchups, the Netherlands will face Morocco on June 29 in Guadeloupe, the same day that Japan will take on Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil in Houston. The United States will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, while Australia will face the runner-up from Group G (which includes Egypt, Iran, Belgium, and New Zealand) on July 3 in Arlington. As for Sweden, we’ll have to wait for their exact ranking among the third-place teams; possible opponents include Germany or Switzerland.
