The football world is eagerly awaiting the start of the quadrennial main event — the World Cup. Today, the fight for the title begins with one of the strongest groups of the tournament — Group F. This group will feature the national teams of the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia. Experts consider this group to be one of the most competitive among all 12 groups of the World Cup.
In the run-up to the matches, we take a detailed look at the squads and prospects of the participants in Group F to understand who will become the main favorite and who will attempt to pull off a sensation.
Netherlands: Dark Horses with a History of Disappointment
The Netherlands national team is traditionally considered one of the main contenders for the trophy. The team is under the leadership of Ronald Koeman, who has been at the helm of the national team for some time. The "Oranje" have a rich but tragic history in World Cups: they have reached the final three times but lost each time. In 1974 and 1978, their opponents were Germany and Argentina, while in 2010, the magnificent team with Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt, and van Persie lost to Spain.
At the last World Cup in Qatar, the Dutch stopped in the quarter-finals, although many experts considered them worthy of at least the bronze. In 2014, they took third place, defeating the hosts of the tournament — Brazil — in the consolation match. At that time, they also inflicted a crushing defeat on Spain, and van Persie's diving "bicycle kick" goal entered history.
The qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup were conducted by the Netherlands almost flawlessly. In eight matches, they did not suffer a single defeat, winning six games and drawing twice. The only points managed to be taken from them belong to the Polish national team (two matches ended with a score of 1:1). The other opponents — Finland, Malta, and Lithuania — could not withstand the power of the "Oranje".
Ronald Koeman and his star-studded squad
The head coach of the Netherlands national team, 63-year-old Ronald Koeman, needs no special introduction. His coaching path has passed through such clubs as "Vitesse", "Ajax", "AZ", "PSV Eindhoven", "Benfica", "Valencia", "Barcelona", "Everton", and "Southampton". This is his second term with the national team: in the period from 2018 to 2020, he led the team to the final of the Nations League.
Legendary Ruud van Nistelrooy works in Koeman's staff, and the squad includes real stars of world football. The team captain is Virgil van Dijk, one of the best central defenders in the world and the leader of "Liverpool". Denzel Dumfries from "Inter" also plays in defense, while Frenkie de Jong from "Barcelona" creates magic in midfield.
The attacking potential of the Dutch looks impressive. In the attack play Memphis Depay (the top scorer in the history of the national team), Donny van de Beek, and Cody Gakpo. This is a powerful attacking link capable of becoming one of the most productive at the tournament.
Tunisia: Almost perfect qualification and new faces
For many Ukrainian fans, the Tunisian national team is associated with the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the Ukrainians defeated them thanks to a penalty goal by Andriy Shevchenko. Since then, 20 years have passed, and Tunisia is stepping onto the World Cup field for the third time.
The qualification for the 2026 World Cup was passed by the Tunisians almost flawlessly: in ten matches, they won 9 games and drew once. The draw was lucky for them: opponents were Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The only defeat (or, rather, a draw) they suffered was against Namibia (0:0). Tunisia advanced to the main part of the tournament from first place.
The captain and main star of the team is Eintracht midfielder Ellyes Skhiri. He went through a good school at "Montpellier", then played for "Köln", and in 2023 moved to "Eintracht", where he became a key player. Another interesting player in the squad is Lorient central defender Montassar Talbi, who at 28 years old has played 64 matches for the national team.
The Tunisian national team is coached by the famous French footballer Sabri Lamouchi. His playing career is impressive: he played for "Auxerre", "Monaco", "Parma", "Inter", "Genoa", and "Marseille". After ending his career in Europe, he worked in Arab clubs.
Festival atmosphere and betting
The world football tournament is an event that is awaited for four years. This is the summer of the big game, and the betting brand GGBET is meeting it with everything a real fan loves: a deep line, some of the best odds, and a festival atmosphere! Turn on the matches, catch the emotions, cheer with GGBET!