Netherlands vs. Japan: 2026 World Cup Prediction, Lineups, and Live Stream details

Heading into their eighth consecutive World Cup , Japan occupy a curious spot in the international game. Vying with Norway to be the world's preeminent pick for tournament dark horses, the hype around the Samurai Blue is such that it is hard not to ask the question: has this team been labelled underrated so consistently that they have become a little overrated?

The answer is probably not. After all, they have earned this buzz through an exceptional run of results. In the last nine months alone, Japan have beaten Brazil in Tokyo before heading west to beat Scotland and England in their backyards. We know they can achieve impressive results in tournaments too, having beaten Japan and Spain at the World Cup. For over two decades, the Japanese Football Association has targeted winning this competition by 2050. It no longer seems a pipe dream.

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Hajime Moriyasu is setting the goal even closer than that. After a send-off win against Iceland in front of the National Stadium, he reaffirmed his goal of winning the tournament this summer. A long shot? Undoubtedly, particularly given that arguably Japan's best player, Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, will miss the tournament with a hamstring injury. Captain Wataru Endo was no longer a lock for Moriyasu's starting XI but his leadership will doubtless be missed after he was forced to withdraw from the squad on Thursday, his place taken by Shuto Machino of Borussia Monchengladbach.

Depth should not be a problem for Japan, who have the likes of Takefusa Kubo and Junya Ito able to step into the gap left by Mitoma while Ayase Ueda, Keisuke Goto and Daizen Maeda make for very useful attacking options. All fit nicely into Moriyasu's 3-4-2-1, a system with truly dangerous wing backs and wide interchanges the likes of which made them fully deserved winners over England.

The questions that one might have over Japan are less to do with their talent or their coach's nous, which was emphatically proven at the last World Cup, than the path that might take them to their lofty goals. Starting off against the Netherlands , this team finds themselves in as tricky a group as the World Cup has thrown up. A good version of Japan tops the table against the Dutch, Swedes and Tunisians. A few unlucky bounces and they don't even qualify. Assuming they do they will then have to achieve something none of their predecessors ever managed and win a knockout game at the World Cup.

That simple fact is worth bearing in mind when plotting a path to the quarters and perhaps beyond. Experience is a valuable factor in the biggest knockout tournament of the lot. That much showed in Qatar when Croatia did just enough to drag themselves back into their round of 16 tie with the Japanese. Come 2050, it seems eminently plausible that the next generation of Samurai Blue will know what is needed to navigate the biggest games. It may be that 2026 is their year; their predecessors start to learn those lessons, surprisingly, well, not that many people, I guess.

How to watch Netherlands vs. Japan

Date: Sunday, June 14 | Time: 4 p.m. ET Location: AT&T Stadium -- Arlington, Texas TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds:  Netherlands -105; Draw +240; Japan +275

Netherlands vs. Japan predicted starting lineups

Netherlands : Robin Roefs ; Denzel Dumfries , Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk , Micky van de Ven ; Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijani Reijnders; Crysencio Summerville , Donyell Malen , Cody Gakpo Japan : Zion Suzuki ; Shogo Taniguchi , Ko Itakura , Hiroki Ito ; Ritsu Doan, Daichi Kamada , Kaishu Sano , Keito Nakamura ; Takefusa Kubo, Junya Ito' Ayase Ueda

Netherlands vs. Japan pick, prediction

Chuck everything I said about tacking those expectations downwards. Japan are a very decent outfit, one that really can fancy its chances of upsetting the Dutch.  Pick : Netherlands 0, Japan 2

Both of these teams can make a run. Be sure to check out our staff predictions  to see how far we think both will get.

Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long

Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.

Each day begins with  Morning Footy , setting the stage with the latest news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there,  Golazo Matchday  and  Golazo Matchnight  deliver reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for coverage of  USMNT  matches with the  Call It What You Want  team, as well as reaction to other marquee matchups. The day wraps with  Scoreline , a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/netherlands-vs-japan-live-stream-prediction-lineups-and-how-to-watch-2026-world-cup/)._