The 2026 World Cup rolls on Sunday, and so do our 2026 World Cup picks, with four more matches as we wrap up the first full weekend of action.
At 1:00 p.m. ET, Germany and Curacao kick off Group E play at NRG Stadium in Houston, while the Netherlands and Japan meet in Group F play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
At 7:00 p.m. ET in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador lock horns, while Sweden and Tunisia wrap up the day at 10:00 p.m. ET at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico.
The first two matches are available on FOX, Telemundo and Peacock, while the final two matches are on FS1, Telemundo and Peacock. Let’s build our bankroll with our top 2026 World Cup picks and predictions for Sunday, June 14th’s game Netherlands vs. Japan.
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Sunday’s Best 2026 World Cup Picks & Predictions: Netherlands vs. Japan
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Netherlands (-105) vs. Japan (+270) | Draw (+250) | O/U 2.5 (-108/-118)
In Group F, the Netherlands and Japan meet in a much more level match than what we’ll see down the road in Houston.
The “Oranje” open the World Cup as a slight favorite despite being ranked No. 7 in the world, while Japan, a.k.a. the Samurai Blue, checks in No. 18. These sides meet for the first time since the 2010 World Cup group stage, which resulted in the Netherlands edging out Japan 1-0.
The Netherlands has finished as a runner-up three times previously, including in 2010, and bowed out in the quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022. Japan’s best finish was reaching the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. The bar is high for manager Hajime Moriyas, as Japan looks to go deeper this year.
The Dutch played to a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on March 31st and topped Norway 2-1 on March 27th, both in friendlies. For Japan, it topped England 1-0 in a friendly on March 31st and beat Scotland by the same score on March 27th. Both were tune-up matches.
Japan will look to use speed to pierce the Netherlands’ defense. Ritsu Doan, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga, will be a handful, while Takefusa Kubo, who is with Real Sociedad in Spain, is a creative genius up front.
The Netherlands’ Frenkie de Jong is a top-tier midfielder, and Virgil van Dijk, another standout for Liverpool of the EPL, locks it down on the back end. His Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo is also a force for the Dutch.
This feels like a draw, as both of these sides attempt to secure an important point in a tough group. Let’s go low on the total, too, with a 1-1 result most likely.
Picks: Draw (+250) & Under 2.5 Goals (-118)
