The Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw in their opening match of the World Cup 2026 on Sunday, 14 June 2026. The Group Stage - 1 contest at the World Cup kicked off at 20:00 UTC and remained goalless until the 51st minute. Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring for the Netherlands with a finish assisted by Ryan Gravenberch. Japan responded quickly through Keito Nakamura in the 57th minute, who finished a pass from Takefusa Kubo. The Netherlands regained t...

The Netherlands and Japan open their World Cup campaigns on Sunday, 14 June 2026, at 20:00 UTC in a Group Stage - 1 fixture. Both nations begin their tournament journeys with a single objective: collect three points to build momentum for the knockout rounds. The head-to-head record in the FootBrowse database shows no meetings between these sides in the past year, though the two nations have crossed paths at previous World Cups, including a 1-0 Japanese victory in the 2010 group stage. Each team ...