Tokyo, June 26, 2026
Japan faces Sweden in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will play on Thursday at 1 AM live on ORF for the top spot in the group.
With four points from the first two games, Japan goes into the decisive group stage encounter. "For Japan, the duel with Sweden is about winning the group," the pre-match coverage states. The team coached by Hajime Moriyasu has thus put itself in a comfortable position, in which a draw could already be enough to secure safe progression to the next round.
Situation: Japan with a Comfortable Lead
This is to be achieved primarily through the attack once again. "The hopes in the attack rest once more on Ayase Ueda, who shone with a brace against Tunisia," the pre-match analyses state. The striker had paved the way to victory with his goals in the second group game and remains the central target in Japan's attacking play.