Japan
At the first 48-team World Cup, hosted across USA, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026. Drawn in Group F with Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia.
Japan vs the rest of Group F
FIFA ranks at draw time. Top two from the group advance directly to the Round of 32; the eight best third-place finishers across all 12 groups also progress.
Japan's tournament path — the fantasy angle
Japan's 3 group matches at a glance
Difficulty by pre-tournament FIFA rank delta. Acid means Japan is the favourite; amber is a coin-toss; red means the underdog. Switches to actual-result colour once each match is played.
Japan is FIFA #18. Group avg rank is #27 — 9 places stronger than the group mean.
Japan's tournament 26
Source: football-data.org (FIFA registered squad). Acid dot · player's Premier League club. Updated daily.
Japan's group-stage matches
| MD | Date | UTC | UK | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun 14 Jun | 20:00 | 21:00 | |
| 2 | Sun 21 Jun | 04:00 | 05:00 | |
| 3 | Thu 25 Jun | 23:00 | 00:00 | vsSweden |
3 Premier League players representing Japan
Track these names — their tournament minutes shape your FPL 2026/27 GW1 captaincy shortlist. 1 from Crystal Palace alone.
Source: Premier League official article (29 May 2026). ~ marks players inferred from secondary reporting where the squad wasn't formally announced.
Why Japan's tournament matters for FPL 2026/27
Japan's 3 PL players will play 3 group matches before the FPL deadline locks. Watch for minutes, form, and tactical fit at international level — the strongest available signal before pre-season friendlies start.
Pick Japan stars in FIFA World Cup Fantasy
Use the Onside captain / differential / value picks to assemble a Japan-heavy XI, then build it in the official FIFA game. In FIFA Fantasy, open the player list and filter by country = Japan to surface every eligible name.
Onside is not affiliated with FIFA. We publish picks; you play them in the official game.
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