World Cup 2026: Japan, Sweden Advance After 1-1 Group F Draw

Japan and Sweden secured places in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after playing out an entertaining 1-1 draw in their final Group F fixture at Dallas Stadium on Thursday.

The result saw Japan finish second behind group winners the Netherlands, while Sweden advanced as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams with four points.

After a cautious opening 45 minutes in which neither side managed to create clear-cut chances, the contest came alive after the interval.

Japan broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Daizen Maeda following an excellent team move. Ayase Ueda combined brilliantly with Ritsu Doan in a slick one-two before Doan squared the ball for the Celtic forward to finish calmly and give the Samurai Blue a deserved lead.

Sweden responded just six minutes later with a moment of individual brilliance from Anthony Elanga.

The Newcastle United winger, making his first start of the tournament, cut inside from the left flank before curling a powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area beyond Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to restore parity.

Both sides continued to search for a winner, although the tempo slowed following the second-half hydration break.

Sweden came closest in stoppage time as Elanga and Alexander Isak both forced impressive saves from Suzuki, who stood firm to ensure Japan held on to second place in the group.

The draw capped a resilient response from Graham Potter's Sweden, who recovered from their heavy 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands in their previous outing to keep their World Cup campaign alive.

Potter's side finished third in Group F with four points, enough to secure qualification as one of the best third-placed teams, while Japan comfortably advanced after collecting five points from their three group matches.

Japan will now face five-time world champions Brazil in the Round of 32, while Sweden will take on one of France, Norway, Germany or Switzerland, depending on the outcome of the remaining group fixtures.