Netherlands v Japan preview and prediction

We’ve had to wait a long time for it, but the 2026 World Cup is finally kicking off for the Netherlands national team too. The big moment arrives on Sunday evening at 10 pm, when Japan will be the Oranje’s first opponent. Ronald Koeman will undoubtedly have his concerns, particularly given the lacklustre results against Algeria and Uzbekistan. Will the Netherlands get off to a good start and, just like at the 2010 World Cup, beat Japan? Here is our Netherlands v Japan prediction.

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Netherlands v Japan preview

What on earth can we expect from the Netherlands national team? We have a more than decent squad, with players who feature for some of the world’s top clubs. Just last week, Denzel Dumfries moved to Real Madrid. Yet things haven’t quite clicked yet, and doubts abound. Especially since a player like Jurriën Timber had to pull out just before the World Cup. Will the Dutch team be able to capitalise on the chances they get against Japan? Or will we start the 2026 World Cup with a major setback?

If any team is well-organised, it’s Japan. The Asians have been the best team in Asia for years and boast a number of players familiar to Eredivisie fans. Ko Itakura and Takehiro Tomiyasu play for Ajax, and Ayase Ueda finished as the Eredivisie’s top scorer while playing for Feyenoord. Can a stubborn Japan cause the Netherlands problems in the opening match at the World Cup?

Netherlands v Japan prediction

If there is one Netherlands player who makes an impression at major tournaments, it is Cody Gakpo. The Liverpool winger constantly cuts inside and is a thorn in the side of any defence. He managed to find the net at least twice against both Uzbekistan and Algeria. We expect the same against Japan, not least because the Eindhoven-born player tends to raise his game at World Cups. If Cody Gakpo has more than 1.5 shots on target, you’ll get odds of 2.90.

Netherlands v Japan odds

We’re hoping for the very best, but we still expect a somewhat slow-paced, sluggish match. Just like sixteen years ago at the 2010 World Cup. The Netherlands struggled to break down a well-organised Japan side and eventually won 1-0. We expect a similar match, in which the Dutch defence will need to be particularly sharp. Add to that an attack that isn’t always at its sharpest, and we’re going for under 2.5 goals. This gives you odds of 1.83.

Netherlands v Japan: predicted line-ups

Below are the predicted line-ups for both the Netherlands and Japan:

Netherlands (4-3-3): Verbruggen, Van de Ven, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Dumfries, De Jong, Gravenberch, Reijnders, Gakpo, Malen, Summerville

Japan (5-2-3): Suzuki, Nakamura, Ito, Watanabe, Taniguchi, Doan, Sano, Endo, Maeda, Ueda, Kubo