WC 2002-2022
Japan vs Netherlands
No meeting in this window
—
WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP F MEETING
🇯🇵
Japan
GROUP FFIFA #184 PL
vs
🇳🇱
Netherlands
GROUP FFIFA #717 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS
The story before a ball is kicked
Japan arrive in Group F as the mid-tier seed with 4 Premier League players in their squad. Netherlands share that group as the top-fifteen FIFA seed with 17 PL regulars.
The two meet directly in the group stage. The result is critical — Group F's order through R32 is decided across just three matchdays, and head-to-head between equally-ranked teams is the second tiebreaker after points.
The pre-match weight of evidence leans Netherlands's way clearly. Below: a six-dimension head-to-head, the Premier League club distribution per squad, and the Onside verdict.
INTERACTIVE · COMBINED DREAM XI
Build the best XI from BOTH squads
Tap any pitch slot to pick from Japan + Netherlands. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.
0 / 11JPN 0·NED 0
Sources: official 26-man squads via football-data.org · Premier League roster fallback when feed lags. Loading saved picks…
HEAD-TO-HEAD · 6 DIMENSIONS
Japan vs Netherlands — where each one wins
Each row scores the two teams 0–100 on a dimension. Longer bar = stronger. The colour-coded chip on the right names the winner of each axis.
FormHow strong they are on paper (FIFA world ranking)
NED +1183
94
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
NED +5918
77
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
NED +2575
100
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
NED +4250
92
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
NED +3660
96
Japan
Netherlands
SQUAD CLUBS · PL PERSPECTIVE
Whose PL players are at the World Cup
If you own any of these clubs' assets in FPL, this matchup matters to your pre-season — tournament minutes here become Saturday minutes in August.
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where Japan's 4 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Japan's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Liverpool leads with 1 player (25%).
Liverpool1 · 25%
Crystal Palace1 · 25%
Leeds1 · 25%
Arsenal1 · 25%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where Netherlands's 17 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Netherlands's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Brighton leads with 3 players (18%).
Brighton3 · 18%
Liverpool3 · 18%
Sunderland2 · 12%
Man City2 · 12%
Brentford1 · 6%
Chelsea1 · 6%
Spurs1 · 6%
Arsenal1 · 6%
Bournemouth1 · 6%
West Ham1 · 6%
Aston Villa1 · 6%
ONSIDE VERDICT
Edge to Netherlands · clearly
- ·Netherlands sit #7 in the FIFA world ranking — 11 places clear of Japan.
- ·Netherlands's squad carries 17 Premier League regulars vs Japan's 4 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
- ·Historical confederation strength leans heavily Netherlands's way — every WC since 1934 has been won by a UEFA or CONMEBOL side.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
| Axis | Japan | Netherlands | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | 83 | 94 | NED +11 |
| PL footprint | 18 | 77 | NED +59 |
| Host edge | 0 | 0 | level |
| Group seed | 75 | 100 | NED +25 |
| Confed | 50 | 92 | NED +42 |
| Experience | 60 | 96 | NED +37 |
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS
Japan vs Netherlands
JAPAN
NETHERLANDS
FORM SCORE
73
90
ATTACK
73
87
DEFENCE
65
80
EXPERIENCE
65
77
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN
Strength by department
JAPAN
- Attack62
- Midfield57
- Defence52
- GK42
NETHERLANDS
- Attack73
- Midfield68
- Defence63
- GK53
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS
No previous WC encounters
These two haven't met at a World Cup in our 2002-2022 window. Qualifier + friendly history will be added as football-data feed warms up.
Source: openfootball/worldcup.json (CC0). World Cup 2002 → 2022 inclusive.
KEY PLAYERS · BOTH SIDES
The match-defining names
JAPAN
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Japan.
View full Japan squad →NETHERLANDS
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Netherlands.
View full Netherlands squad →WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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