Netherlands meet Sweden as World Cup group race enters day 10

The 2026 World Cup continues Saturday with four group-stage matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico, led by the Netherlands’ meeting with Sweden in Houston. The games arrive with knockout places beginning to take shape, after the United States qualified and Brazil improved its position on day nine, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press.

The Netherlands-Sweden match is set for 1 p.m. EDT at Houston Stadium in Texas, followed by Germany against Ivory Coast at Toronto Stadium at 4 p.m. Ecuador face Curacao at Kansas City Stadium at 8 p.m., and Tunisia play Japan at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico at midnight EDT, Al Jazeera reported.

Opta favors Dutch in Houston

The Netherlands enter their match against Sweden as the statistical favorite, according to Opta’s tournament model cited by Al Jazeera. Opta gives the Dutch a 55.9 percent chance of winning, with Sweden at 20.8 percent and a draw at 23.3 percent.

The teams have played 20 times, Al Jazeera reported. Their most recent meeting was a 2-0 Netherlands win in 2017 during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and Sweden have won one of their past seven matches against the Dutch.

Sweden opened the tournament strongly with a win over Tunisia, but the forecast still leans toward the Netherlands. Fans gathered in Houston before the match, with Reuters photographing Dutch supporters at a pre-match fan festival.

Germany, Ecuador and Japan also backed

Germany are favored against Ivory Coast, though Opta’s numbers show a tighter contest than some of Saturday’s other fixtures. The model gives Germany a 44.4 percent chance, Ivory Coast 30.0 percent and the draw 25.6 percent, according to Al Jazeera.

Germany and Ivory Coast have met once before, a 2-2 friendly draw in 2009, Al Jazeera reported. Germany have lost one of eight World Cup matches against African teams, while Ivory Coast are seeking to win two games at a single World Cup for the first time.

Ecuador are heavy favorites against Curacao in what Al Jazeera said will be the first meeting between the sides. Opta gives Ecuador an 86.1 percent chance of victory after 25,000 simulations, with Curacao at 4.7 percent and the draw at 9.2 percent. Ecuador are unbeaten in their past 13 matches against CONCACAF opponents, with seven wins and six draws.

Japan are also favored in Monterrey against Tunisia. Opta rates Japan’s win chance at 61.3 percent, compared with 15.8 percent for Tunisia and 22.9 percent for a draw. Japan have won five of six meetings between the teams, while Tunisia’s only victory in the fixture came in a 2022 friendly, Al Jazeera reported.

Knockout picture starts to form

The United States reached the knockout stage with a 2-0 win over Australia despite the absence of injured captain Christian Pulisic, Al Jazeera and The Associated Press reported. Paraguay’s later victory over Turkiye also secured first place in Group D for the Americans, who are due to face a third-placed team in the round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara, California.

Brazil beat Haiti 3-0, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice and Vinicius Junior adding a goal and an assist, according to Al Jazeera. The result improved Brazil’s qualification hopes and eliminated Haiti, the first team knocked out of the expanded 48-team tournament. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said Neymar is expected back from injury for the final group match against Scotland.

Reuters reported that Algeria lodged a complaint with FIFA about officiating decisions in a 3-0 defeat to Argentina. Al Jazeera said the complaint focused on a first-half incident involving Lionel Messi and Algeria captain Aissa Mandi, as well as a second-half challenge by Alexis Mac Allister that Algeria believed should have been punished.

Off the field, Al Jazeera reported growing concern in Vancouver over World Cup affordability. Hotel rooms have reached up to $1,000 a night on match days, and some residents said ticket prices have put matches beyond reach for local families.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.