The Netherlands only know two of their three opponents at the 2026 World Cup. Oranje will be facing off against a strong Japanese side as well as Tunisia. They will be favourites to beat both, although Japan are, on paper at least, superior to a Tunisian side that have qualified for major tournaments but struggled to deliver at them.
The final opponent for the Netherlands remains a mystery. This is because they will face the winner of one of the European play-offs, which will be Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Albania. The Netherlands have already faced Poland a handful of times in qualification, so will be confident of being able to deal with them next summer. The other three will likely be tougher tests than Tunisia but Ronald Koemanโs side will fancy their chances of coming out on top. On paper at least, it is between the Netherlands and Japan to top the group. Failure to qualify from the group would be a disaster for Oranje.
GBeNeFNย |ย Ben Jackson
