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Netherlands and Japan shared points at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a 2-2 draw that unfolded entirely in the second half. The saw four goals scored in just 38 minutes, leaving the group wide open before Sweden and Tunisia have stepped onto the field.
The first half went by without goals and without much excitement, but the break was the spark for a back-and-forth spectacle. In the 51st minute, captain Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with a header from the center of the box following a cross from Ryan Gravenberch: 1-0 for the Dutch and the first goal of the .
Japan did not take long to respond. Keito Nakamura equalized in the 57th minute to make it 1-1 and bring uncertainty back to a match that until then seemed to be leaning towards the Europeans.
The Netherlands regained the lead just seven minutes later. In the 64', Crysencio Summerville struck a shot that the live coverage described as "absolutely brilliant" to make it 2-1. With the score in their favor and the clock ticking, the match seemed to be heading towards a Dutch victory.
But Japan, which had to come from behind twice, found its reward in stoppage time. Daichi Kamada scored the equalizing goal in the 89th minute, salvaging a point that keeps the Asians with strong chances in the group. As summarized in Opta's analysis, "Japan came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw."
In the statistics, with 64% compared to Japan's 36%, and were more incisive in front of goal: six shots on target to only two from the Japanese, although both teams registered a total of eight shots. The Dutch team also earned five corner kicks compared to two for their rivals and received the only yellow card of the match.
committed six fouls—two more than the Netherlands—but left the game without any yellow cards, reflecting a tactical discipline that allowed them to withstand pressure and strike at the decisive moment. The Asian team has established a generation of players in recent years who play in top European leagues, and figures like Nakamura and Kamada demonstrated yesterday why that leap in level is real.
With this result, both teams share the lead in Group F with one point each, having scored two goals and conceded two. Sweden and Tunisia, the other two participants, have not yet played their first match, leaving the standings completely open. The format of the 2026 World Cup qualifies the top two teams from each group along with the best third-place teams, which means that any combination of results in the upcoming matches could change the standings.
The second matchday of the group features the Netherlands against Sweden on June 20, and Japan against Tunisia on June 21, two matchups that could redefine the standings before the final date, scheduled for June 25 and 26.
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