Curacao set for World Cup debut as Netherlands meet Japan
The 2026 World Cup's fourth day brings four games, including Curacao's historic opener against Germany and a Group F test for the Netherlands.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The 2026 FIFA World Cup moves into its fourth day Sunday with four group matches across the United States and Mexico. Curacao are set to become the smallest nation to appear at the tournament, while the Netherlands open against Japan in one of the day’s main fixtures, according to Al Jazeera.
The schedule also includes Ivory Coast against Ecuador in Philadelphia and Sweden against Tunisia in Guadalupe. Al Jazeera reported that New York’s World Cup attention was partly pulled away by the Knicks, who beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 to win the NBA Finals.
Sunday’s World Cup schedule
- Germany vs Curacao: NRG Stadium, Houston — 12pm local, 17:00 GMT
- Netherlands vs Japan: AT&T Stadium, Dallas — 2pm local, 20:00 GMT
- Ivory Coast vs Ecuador: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia — 7pm local, 23:00 GMT
- Sweden vs Tunisia: Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe — 7:30pm local, 02:00 GMT
Netherlands begin against Japan
The Netherlands, World Cup runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, start Group F against a Japan side that beat Germany and Spain during the 2022 group stage in Qatar. Al Jazeera listed the match among its five group-stage games to watch.
Dutch coach Ronald Koeman said Saturday that his squad is placing demands on itself after three final defeats in the country’s World Cup history. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Koeman told reporters, adding that the team must first focus on Japan because it will be “a difficult game.”
Al Jazeera named Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay, Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo among the Dutch players to watch. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, who led Japan to the last 16 in Qatar, said his team must get through a hard group and called the Netherlands a side with “the top of the top talent.”
Japan have not won a World Cup knockout match, according to Al Jazeera, and enter the tournament without captain Wataru Endo. The same report listed Ayase Ueda, Takefusa Kubo, Junya Ito and Daichi Kamada as key Japanese players.
Stats provider Opta gives the Netherlands a 50.2% chance to win, Japan a 24.5% chance and a draw a 25.2% chance. Opta also rates the Dutch as the most likely team to top Group F, ahead of Japan, Sweden and Tunisia, with a 49.46% chance.
Curacao face Germany in first World Cup match
Curacao, with a population of just over 150,000 and an area of 443 square kilometres, will become the smallest country to play at a FIFA World Cup, Al Jazeera reported. The Caribbean team qualified for the first time and begin against four-time champions Germany in Group E.
Coach Dick Advocaat said Curacao understand the scale of the Germany match but believe they can be hard to play. “We have nothing to lose,” Advocaat said, according to Al Jazeera. The 78-year-old is also set to become the oldest coach in World Cup history.
Opta’s model gives Germany a 90.7% chance to beat Curacao, with Curacao at 3.6% and a draw at 5.7%. Opta lists Germany as the strongest candidate to win Group E, which also includes Ivory Coast and Ecuador, at 65.32%.
Other match projections
Opta rates Ivory Coast and Ecuador close to even, giving Ivory Coast a 37.5% chance of victory and Ecuador 35.2%, with a draw at 27.3%. For Sweden against Tunisia, Opta has Sweden at 51.1%, Tunisia at 23.2% and a draw at 25.7%.
Al Jazeera reported that the Netherlands-Japan match is available in the Netherlands on NPO 1, NPO 3 and nos.nl, in Japan on NHK BS4K, DAZN and NHK General TV, in the United Kingdom on ITV and STV platforms, and in the United States on Fox, Telemundo and Peacock services.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.