Japan vs Sweden Prediction | 2026 World Cup | 26/06

Japan take on Sweden at the 2026 World Cup, with kick-off at 00:00 on Friday, 26/06.

Football's biggest stage raises the stakes, and there is plenty to know about how these two sides approach the contest.

Below you will find our full breakdown of the match, along with the bet our team rates as the best pick for this match.

Our Recommended Bet

The team at Betting.co.uk has crunched the numbers, weighing each side's recent results, scoring patterns, and defensive record to project how this one is likely to play out.

Our model factors in past meetings, in-tournament trends, and how clinical each team has been at both ends of the pitch.

The recommended bet and the reasoning behind it are below.

Recommended Bet

2nd Half Under 1.5 Goals

Why we predict under 1.5 Goals in the second half

Our betting pick is Second Half – Under 1.5 Goals for the Japan vs Sweden contest. We expect a cautious approach after the break, especially if one team is protecting a lead. With limited chances, the match could finish with one or no goals in the second half.

Key Betting Insights

Japan

• Scored 9 goals in their last 5 matches
• Undefeated in their last 5 clashes
• Scored at least 1 goal in 5 consecutive matches

Sweden

• Scored 12 goals in their last 5 matches
• Conceded in 5 of their last 5 matches
• Both teams scored in 5 out of Sweden's last 5 matches

2nd Half Under 1.5 Goals: 8/11

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Match Result

1x2 Odds Comparison

Bookmaker	1	X	2	Over 2.5	Under 2.5
	21/20	5/2	3/1	4/5	5/6
	10/11	12/5	16/5	4/5	1/1
	10/11	5/2	11/4	4/5	1/1
	10/11	12/5	3/1	10/11	10/11

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Japan Preview

Japan have built up this record at the 2026 World Cup so far:

• Matches played: 2

• Wins: 1

• Draws: 1

• Losses: 0

• Goals Scored: 6 (Avg. 3)

• Goals Conceded: 2 (Avg. 1)

Widening the lens to every competition this season, Japan's figures look like this:

• Matches played: 21

• Wins: 17

• Draws: 3

• Losses: 1

• Goals Scored: 63 (Avg. 3)

• Goals Conceded: 5 (Avg. 0.24)

Team Statistics/Latest Results

Japan

Goals Scored: 63

Goals Conceded: 5

Average Goals Scored: 3

Average Goals Conceded: 0.24

Wins: 17

Goal Difference: 58

Date	Game	Result
21/06	Tunisia 0 - 4 Japan	W
14/06	Netherlands 2 - 2 Japan	D
31/05	Japan 1 - 0 Iceland	W
31/03	England 0 - 1 Japan	W
28/03	Scotland 0 - 1 Japan	W

Japan to win the match: 21/20

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Sweden Preview

Sweden, meanwhile, head into this tie with the following 2026 World Cup record:

• Matches played: 2

• Wins: 1

• Draws: 0

• Losses: 1

• Goals Scored: 6 (Avg. 3)

• Goals Conceded: 6 (Avg. 3)

Looking across all competitions this season, Sweden's numbers come out as follows:

• Matches played: 12

• Wins: 3

• Draws: 3

• Losses: 6

• Goals Scored: 19 (Avg. 1.58)

• Goals Conceded: 26 (Avg. 2.17)

Team Statistics/Latest Results

Sweden

Goals Scored: 19

Goals Conceded: 26

Average Goals Scored: 1.58

Average Goals Conceded: 2.17

Wins: 3

Goal Difference: -7

Date	Game	Result
20/06	Netherlands 5 - 1 Sweden	L
15/06	Sweden 5 - 1 Tunisia	W
04/06	Sweden 2 - 2 Greece	D
01/06	Norway 3 - 1 Sweden	L
31/03	Sweden 3 - 2 Poland	W

Sweden to win the match: 11/4

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Statistical Insights for Japan vs Sweden

The table below stacks each side's core numbers up against the benchmark.

Scoring output, both-teams-to-score frequency and the results of their last five matches all feed in, giving you a clearer read on where the value might sit in Japan vs Sweden.

Key metrics

Team Form

Japan

International - World Cup

Form	Last 5 Games	PPG
Overall	W D W W W	2.6
Home	W W W W D	2.6
Away	W D W W L	2

Sweden

International - World Cup

Form	Last 5 Games	PPG
Overall	L W D L W	1.4
Home	W D W D L	1.6
Away	L L W L L	0.6

Favourite

Home Win

10/11

51.28%

Draw

5/2

28.99%

Away Win

16/5

23.53%

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Key Metrics

These are the areas that tend to decide betting value: corners, cards, goals scored and goals conceded.

Reading them side by side highlights each team's habits and points you toward the markets with the strongest patterns.

Key metrics

Corners

Japan

23

last 5 matches

Sweden

13

last 5 matches

Performance Gap

Japan received +77% more corners than Sweden in the last 5 matches.

Japan and Sweden corners count, last 5 matches

▲

Tunisia

5

Netherlands

4

Iceland

5

England

1

Scotland

8

5

Netherlands

4

Tunisia

1

Greece

1

Norway

2

Poland

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Key metrics

Cards

Japan

4

last 5 matches

Sweden

6

last 5 matches

Performance Gap

Sweden received +50% more cards than Japan in the last 5 matches.

Japan and Sweden cards count, last 5 matches

▲

Tunisia

0

Netherlands

0

Iceland

0

England

2

Scotland

2

3

Netherlands

0

Tunisia

0

Greece

1

Norway

2

Poland

Key metrics

Goals Scored

Japan

9

last 5 matches

Sweden

12

last 5 matches

Performance Gap

Sweden scored +33% more goals than Japan in the last 5 matches.

Japan and Sweden goals scored count, last 5 matches

▲

Tunisia

4

Netherlands

2

Iceland

1

England

1

Scotland

1

1

Netherlands

5

Tunisia

2

Greece

1

Norway

3

Poland

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Key metrics

Goals Conceded

Japan

2

last 5 matches

Sweden

13

last 5 matches

Performance Gap

Sweden conceded +550% more goals than Japan in the last 5 matches.

Japan and Sweden goals conceded count, last 5 matches

▲

Tunisia

0

Netherlands

2

Iceland

0

England

0

Scotland

0

5

Netherlands

1

Tunisia

2

Greece

3

Norway

2

Poland

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