Group · Matchday 3Upcoming
Japan vs Sweden — World Cup 2026 Group · Matchday 3
Match preview / What to expect
Updated Jun 6, 2026Japan and Sweden close out Group F in what could be a straight shootout for a knockout place. Hajime Moriyasu's Japan are quick and technical, with Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo providing width and Wataru Endo holding midfield.
Graham Potter's Sweden lean on a fearsome strike pairing in Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, with Anthony Elanga's pace adding another dimension.
Japan's tempo versus Sweden's directness and aerial power should produce an open, end-to-end affair.
Key storylines
- 01Gyökeres and Isak — one of the tournament's most potent strike duos
- 02Japan's pace and pressing against Sweden's physicality
- 03A potential winner-takes-second clash in Group F
Prediction
Kickoff editorial call
Japan 1-2 Sweden
Projected lineups
Projected XI — not confirmed
Japan
Formation 3-4-2-1- 1Z. Suzuki
- 2T. Tomiyasu
- 3K. Itakura
- 4T. Watanabe
- 5Y. Sugawara
- 6W. Endo
- 7A. Tanaka
- 8Y. Nagatomo
- 9T. Kubo
- 10R. Doan
- 11A. Ueda
Sweden
Formation 4-4-2- 1R. Olsen
- 2E. Smith
- 3V. Lindelöf
- 4I. Hien
- 5C. Starfelt
- 6A. Elanga
- 7L. Bergvall
- 8Y. Ayari
- 9K. Sema
- 10V. Gyökeres
- 11A. Isak
Team news
Japan
- Kubo and Doan key to Japan's wide threat
- Endo anchors a mobile midfield
Sweden
- Gyökeres and Isak the focal points of Sweden's attack
- Elanga adds searing pace on the break
Sources
Preview is editorial. Projected lineups are not confirmed team sheets.
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Head-to-head
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