Japan are in Group F at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 across 16 stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Below you'll find every Japan group stage match with kickoff times automatically converted to your local timezone. Select your timezone above to get the exact time each Japan game kicks off wherever you're watching from. No app, no signup โ just Japan's full World Cup schedule in your time.
Japan are one of my dark horse picks for this entire tournament โ and I mean that seriously, not as a throwaway compliment. They were the first non-host nation to book their place at the 2026 World Cup, topping their Asian qualifying group with authority. Under Hajime Moriyasu they have beaten Germany, Spain, Brazil and England in recent competitive matches and friendlies โ these are not flukes, this is a team that has figured out how to beat top opposition. The Samurai Blue play with an intensity, discipline and collective organization that makes them genuinely uncomfortable opponents for anyone. Nobody should be taking Japan lightly.
The squad announcement was overshadowed by one painful absence. Kaoru Mitoma, Japan's most creative and dangerous attacker, tore his hamstring in Brighton's match against Wolverhampton and was ruled out. When Moriyasu faced the press to announce his squad, his eyes filled with tears as he spoke about leaving Mitoma out. It was a genuinely moving moment โ and it tells you everything about the culture of this squad. Without Mitoma stretching the wide areas, Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad becomes the primary creative force, supported by Ayase Ueda โ Feyenoord's top scorer this season with 25 Eredivisie goals โ and a midfield anchored by Liverpool's Wataru Endo. The depth is there. The squad adapts. That's what good teams do.
Veteran full-back Yuto Nagatomo, 39, becomes the first Asian player ever to appear at five different World Cups. That milestone deserves a moment. Five tournaments, from 2010 to 2026, across sixteen years of international football. He is the living bridge between the Japan that was still finding its feet on the world stage and the Japan that now beats Germany on a Tuesday night and nobody is surprised.
Group F โ Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia โ is tough and Japan cannot afford to take any of these opponents for granted. Sweden have Isak and Gyรถkeres. Tunisia don't concede. Netherlands are the group favorites. Every game matters. That said, I have Japan second in this group. Their opener against Netherlands on June 14 is the defining match โ if Japan can get a result there, the group opens up completely. Tunisia and Sweden are both winnable for a team of Japan's quality and organization.
My prediction: Netherlands first, Japan second โ but if Japan beat the Dutch in the opener, flip those around. This is a team that is ready to go deep. Don't sleep on them.
