Japan and Sweden play to 1-1 draw as both advance to knockout round at the 2026 World Cup. Stats.
Japan face Sweden in a crucial Group F encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sweden enter the match full of confidence after an impressive 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their opening fixture, while Japan earned a valuable 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.
Japan and Sweden both secured their places in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after an entertaining 1-1 draw in their final Group F clash at Dallas Stadium. A second-half strike from Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead before Anthony Elanga responded with a stunning long-range equalizer just six minutes later.
After a quiet first half, Japan came out firing following the break as Maeda calmly finished Ritsu Doan's perfectly weighted pass to put the Samurai Blue ahead. Sweden refused to back down, with Elanga unleashing a sensational left-footed effort beyond Zion Suzuki to score his second goal of the tournament and level the contest.
Both teams pushed for a late winner in a dramatic finale. Sweden came closest in stoppage time, but Suzuki produced two brilliant saves, denying Elanga before tipping Alexander Isak's powerful header onto the crossbar to preserve the draw.
The result sees Japan finish second in Group F, setting up a blockbuster Round of 32 clash with Brazil. Sweden also advance to the knockout rounds and are currently on course to face France, though their final position among the best third-placed teams could still change after the remaining group-stage fixtures.
Japan vs Sweden final score, stats, facts, records
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Japan have gone unbeaten against European opposition in 11 straight games (W8 D3), the longest unbeaten stretch against European foes in team history, surpassing a 10-game stretch from May 2006 to May 2009.
Anthony Elanga’s goal (28.9 meters) was the second-longest goal scored by a Swedish player in a FIFA World Cup on record (since at least 1966), behind Anders Svensson’s goal against Argentina in 2002 (30.2 meters).
Japan’s 39-year-old Yūto Nagatomo is the first Asian player to compete in five World Cups.
Sweden started their youngest starting lineup at a FIFA World Cup, 26 years and 273 days, since a 25 year and 350 day old lineup in the third-place match of the 1994 World Cup against Bulgaria in the Rose Bowl...
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