Japan vs Sweden prediction: teams form analysis, possible lineups on June 26, 2026
In the third round of the World Cup on June 26, 2026, a match will be played between the national teams of Japan and Sweden. The nominal visitors need points to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Japan vs Sweden: Team News and Expert Analysis
The Japanese qualified for the World Cup ahead of schedule without any trouble, eventually winning their qualifying group with 23 points in ten games. Since October, they've been winning all their friendly matches. Already at the World Cup, they had to face the Netherlands in their opening game. There, they were trailing but managed to snatch a draw at the end. Against Tunisia, there were no problems at all: they scored four unanswered goals.
Sweden completely failed in their qualification, taking only two points from six matches. However, thanks to the "Nations League path," they got into the spring playoffs, where they beat both Ukraine and Poland. It was concerning, though, that before the tournament they lost a friendly to Norway and only drew with Greece. At the World Cup, however, they started with a very confident 5-1 win over Tunisia. Later, they lost to the Dutch by the same "mirror score."
The team from the Far East is pragmatic: they score only 1.9 goals on average, conceding much less, at 0.8. The Scandinavians have a clearly negative ratio: while scoring a decent 1.7 goals per game, they concede 2.2 in return.
Previous Matches: Japan vs Sweden
Three out of four previous meetings (all friendlies) ended in draws, while in 1997, Sweden claimed a narrow 1-0 victory.
There is little faith in Potter's team. But you can definitely expect the match to be entertaining—we suggest betting on "total over 2.5 goals" (odds – 1.79).
Japan vs Sweden: Key Statistics and Trends
- Japan has won seven of their last eight matches
- 30% of Japan's games end with goals from both teams and the average total goals per match is 2.7
- Sweden has won three of their last six matches
- 80% of Sweden's matches end with goals from both teams and the average total goals per match is 3.9
Japan vs Sweden: Probable Starting Lineups
Japan plays with a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (probable lineup): Suzuki - Ito, Itakura, Tomiyasu, Kamada - Ito, Tanaka - Sano, Nakamura, Doan - Ueda. Enjo and Kubo are definitely out, Machino is questionable.
Sweden uses a 1-4-4-2 formation (probable lineup): Nordfeldt - Lindelöf, Hien, Lagerbielke, Karlström - Ayari, Nygren, Gudmundsson, Bernhardsson - Isak, Gyökeres. Smit is struggling with problems.
Place your bet on the upcoming match and follow the team's performance in the World Cup standings
