Japan Draw with Sweden to Secure Second Place (video)

The third-round matches of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup are underway. In Group F, Japan and Sweden played to a 1-1 draw.

The teams played cautiously in the first half, and no goals were scored. The main action took place after the break.

Maeda put Japan ahead in the 56th minute. However, the Asians' lead did not last long. In the 62nd minute, Elanga scored the equalizer.

For the remainder of the match, both teams attempted to score the winning goal, but the result remained unchanged. Thus, Japan and Sweden each earned one point from the group.

World Cup 2026. Group F, Matchday 3

Japan — Sweden — 1:1

Goals: Maeda, 56 — Elanga, 62.

Japan: Suzuki, Seko (Vatanabe, 75), Itakura, Ito, Sugavara, Tanaka, Kamada, Nakamura (Nagatomo, 75), Doan (Ito, 67), Maeda, Ueda.

Sweden: Zetterstrom, Lagerbiyelke, Hin, Gulmundsson, Bernhardsson (Svensson, 75), Lindelyof, Ayyari, Straud (Sema, 75), Elanga, Isak, Gyokeresh.

Following this result, Netherlands finished first in Group F with 7 points. Japan took second place with 5 points.

Sweden finished third with 4 points and advanced to the playoff stage. Tunisia finished last in the group, losing all three matches.