Japan and Sweden have secured their World Cup knockout spots after a crucial draw on Thursday.
Following a devastating 5-1 loss to the Netherlands in its Group F match, Sweden showed off their skills against Japan and reached the knockout stages after finishing third in Group F with 4 points.
Meanwhile, the Samurai Blue had its chance to win and compete with the Netherlands for the top spot in the group but failed to beat Sweden's goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström despite trying eight shots on the night.
Japan vs Sweden goals
Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead in the 56th minute, with Ritsu Doan providing a stunning assist.
Sweden struck back in the 62nd minute with the help of Anthony Elanga, who scored the nation's only goal for the second consecutive match.
World Cup 2026: Group F standings
The high-stakes contest ended with the Netherlands topping Group F, followed by Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.
The Netherlands finished first with seven points, while Japan secured second place with five points. Sweden advanced with four points as one of the best third-placed teams, while Tunisia exited the tournament with zero points.
The draw puts Japan against Group C winners Brazil in Houstin in the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands, who defeated Tunisia 3-1, will take on Morocco in Monterrey in the knockout stage.
How can teams reach the knockout stages in the World Cup?
With the World Cup expanded to a total of 48 teams for the first time, 32 teams will reach the knockout stages in the 2026 World Cup, which will run from June 28 to July 3.
The teams who would move to the next stage are the winners and runner-ups of each of 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams, based on points and goal difference at the end of the group stage.
After the top 32 positions are secured, the teams will battle for the top 16 spots in the World Cup.
The 16 teams will then play quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for a bronze medal.
Moreover, the final game of the World Cup is scheduled for July 19.
Third-place teams standing and what it means
With the new format of the World Cup, teams that finish fourth in their groups are immediately eliminated; however, eight of the 12 third-placed teams will still have a chance to show off their skills in the round of 32.
Scotland currently sits eighth in the third-place table after playing its three group game, and losing to Brazil with a 3-0 score.
At the time of writing, the top eight third-placed teams are Sweden (Group F) Ecuador; with four points after they beat Germany 2-1 in Group E match; Bosnia & Herzegovina (Group B); Paraguay (Group D); Croatia (Group L); South Korea (Group A); Algeria (Group J); and Scotland (Group C).
How are the eight best third-placed teams decided?
The eight best third-placed teams are ranked based on several criteria.
First, teams are compared by the total number of points they obtained in all group matches. If the points are equal, teams' goal differences are compared; in a case of a tie, the total number of goals scored across group matches is considered.
If teams cannot be separated using these criteria, the Fair Play ranking is applied, taking into account the number of yellow and red cards received during all group matches.
As a final tiebreaker, the FIFA World Ranking is used.
World Cup 2026: Teams knocked out of the tournament
As of Thursday, June 25, eight teams have been eliminated from the World Cup 2026, including the Czech Republic (Group A), Qatar (Group B), Curacao (Group E), and Panama (Group L).
Jordan (Group J) has joined Haiti (Group C), Turkey (Group D) and Tunisia (Group F) as the teams whose Word Cup run has ended.
Tunisia became the third team to be eliminated after they lost 4-0 to Japan on Saturday, June 20, in the 1000th FIFA World Cup match
