World Cup Day 4: Netherlands vs Japan, Curacao debut, prediction, schedule

Day 4 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 has a batch successful store for fans.

The header lawsuit connected Sunday is the Netherlands vs Japan radical match: A clash of the three-time runners-up and 1 of the strongest Asian teams.

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We volition besides witnesser past being made arsenic Curacao go the smallest-ever federation to play astatine the World Cup, erstwhile they statesman their tourney by facing Germany.

Ecuador – counted among the tournament’s acheronian horses – are besides successful action, facing the Ivory Coast, portion Sweden look Tunisia arsenic they instrumentality aft missing the past edition.

Away from the football, hoops fever engulfed New York, arsenic the Knicks were crowned NBA champions, taking the spotlight distant from the World Cup successful the United States.

Which are the World Cup games today?

• Germany vs Curacao: NRG Stadium, Houston – 12pm section clip (17:00 GMT)
• Netherlands vs Japan: AT&T Stadium, Dallas – 2pm section clip (19:00 GMT)
• Ivory Coast vs Ecuador: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia – 7pm section clip (23:00 GMT)
• Sweden vs Tunisia: Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe – 7:30pm section clip (01:30 GMT Sunday)

Netherlands look Japan successful must-watch radical game

Sunday’s lucifer betwixt the Netherlands and Japan is among Al Jazeera’s top 5 must-watch radical games of the 2026 World Cup.

Runners-up successful 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Netherlands footwear disconnected Group F with an breathtaking gathering with Japan, who are susceptible of pulling disconnected large upsets, having defeated Germany and Spain successful the radical signifier astatine the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar.

After reaching the last 3 times, the Dutch – by their ain admittance – are putting unit connected themselves to spell each the mode successful North America.

While the Netherlands’ erstwhile aureate procreation – the 1988 Euro-winning squad – could not replicate their continental occurrence connected the planetary stage, Ronald Koeman’s existent harvest of players has the endowment and calibre. And for the archetypal time, they person an extracurricular accidental of lifting the trophy.

“We enactment a batch of unit connected ourselves,” Koeman told reporters connected Saturday. “We privation to spell acold successful the tournament. We person a beardown team, and we cognize what we request to amended to person a existent chance.

“But we request to instrumentality it 1 crippled ‌at a time. We request to absorption archetypal connected Japan, which volition beryllium a hard game.”

Boasting the likes of high-profile players specified arsenic Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay, Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo, the Dutch are ones to ticker successful the opening circular of the expanded 48-team World Cup.

Japan men’s nationalist shot squad members be a grooming league [Julio Cortez/AP Photo]

Japan, though, volition look to spoil their party. Coach Hajime ‌Moriyasu knows his broadside look a conflict to get done a challenging group, if the Samurai ⁠Blue are to present ⁠on his imagination of going into uncharted territory astatine the World Cup.

“We person to past this signifier nary substance what, but astatine the aforesaid clip I spot that it is ⁠a precise pugnacious group,” said Moriyasu, who took Japan into the past 16 astatine the finals successful Qatar. “The apical of the apical endowment is recovered successful the Netherlands team.”

Japan person ne'er won a crippled successful the knockout signifier of the World Cup, losing connected each of their 4 erstwhile appearances successful the past 16, and Moriyasu’s broadside spell into the finals without influential skipper Wataru Endo. But ticker retired for Ayase Ueda, Takefusa Kubo, Junya Ito and Daichi Kamada.

Netherlands vs Japan prediction

Stats supplier Opta’s supercomputer has fixed the Netherlands a 50.2 percent accidental of winning this Group F lucifer against Japan, who person 24.5 percent likelihood of victory. There is simply a 25.2 percent accidental of a draw.

Overall, the Dutch are frontrunners to travel retired connected apical successful this group, with a 49.46 percent chance. The different teams successful this conception are Tunisia and Sweden.

How to ticker Netherlands vs Japan?

• Netherlands: NPO 1, NPO 3, nos.nl
• Japan: NHK BS4K, DAZN, NHK General TV
• United Kingdom: STV, STV Player, ITV1, ITVX
• USA: FOX One, Telemundo Network, Telemundo App, FOX, Peacock

Tiny Curacao acceptable to marque World Cup past successful Germany test

Curacao – the tiny Caribbean land of conscionable much than 150,000 radical and covering lone 443 quadrate kilometres (171 quadrate miles) – is acceptable to go the smallest state ever to vie astatine a FIFA World Cup.

After scripting a fairytale qualification, they get successful North America arsenic 1 of the 4 debutants and look the daunting task of playing four-time satellite champions Germany.

But Curacao, who trust heavy connected ⁠their diaspora successful the Netherlands for players, are not giving up conscionable yet.

“We are a tiny state compared to Germany, but we volition marque beingness hard for them and beryllium a pugnacious squad to play,” manager Dick Advocaat said.

“We person thing ⁠to lose. The anticipation is not that precocious extracurricular ⁠of america arsenic a squad, due to the fact that we deliberation we tin astonishment people. Just being present is large for the players and the country, but we besides person to amusement radical what ⁠we are made of.”

Along with Curacao, Advocaat is besides acceptable to execute a record: The 78-year-old volition go the oldest manager successful World Cup history.

Curacao fans observe World Cup 2026 qualification [Ricardo Makyn/AFP]

Germany vs Curacao prediction

Germany has a whopping 90.7 percent accidental of winning this Group E crippled against Curacao, who person a specified 3.6 percent accidental of pulling disconnected an upset. There is simply a 5.7 percent accidental the crippled ends successful a draw.

Overall, Germany person a 65.32 percent accidental of topping this group, which besides includes Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

How to ticker Germany vs Curacao?

• Germany: Fussball.TV 2, DasErste, ARD Mediathek
• Curacao: DGO, DSPORTS
• United Kingdom: ITV1, STV Player, ITVX, STV
• USA: FOX One, Telemundo Network, Telemundo App, FOX, Peacock

Ivory Coast vs Ecuador prediction

This one’s an absorbing fixture, with some teams having a near-equal accidental of winning.

Ivory Coast person a 37.5 percent probability of winning, portion Ecuador’s accidental of a triumph stands astatine 35.2 percent. A gully has an likelihood of 27.3 percent.

Sweden vs Tunisia prediction

Sweden are favourites to triumph this game, having a 51.1 percent accidental of victory. Tunisia’s likelihood basal astatine 23.2 percent, little than the 25.7 percent accidental of a draw.

New York’s victorious Knicks permission World Cup successful the cold

The World Cup carnival yet kicked disconnected successful New York connected Saturday, arsenic Brazil and Morocco faced disconnected successful a heavyweight Group C clash. But the shot fever was overshadowed by the hoops elation aft the hometown Knicks broke a 53-year curse to triumph the NBA Finals.

New York erupted successful solemnisation successful the aftermath of the Knicks’ 94-90 Game 5 triumph implicit the San Antonio Spurs, with fans letting disconnected fireworks and a cacophony of cheers and car horns reverberating astir the city.

“Knicks successful five!” chanted crowds aft the hometown hoops dynasty sealed the seven-match bid successful five.

Times Square successful cardinal Manhattan was packed with Brazil and Morocco fans pursuing their clash, but the remainder of the metropolis surged with elated crowds of Knicks fans.

Fans observe the New York Knicks’ triumph against the San Antonio Spurs successful Game 5 of the NBA Finals, connected a thoroughfare adjacent Madison Square Garden, successful New York City [Christian Monterrosa/Reuters]