Group F · Matchday 1

NetherlandsvsJapan

2026-06-14·15:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 14 Jun, 17:01 UTCNetherlands·Japan·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedNetherlands 2 2 JapanThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Netherlands win
    44.6%
  • Draw
    25.0%
  • Japan win
    30.3%

A clash of identities: Netherlands's structured-press approach meets Japan's low-block style in a fixture the model gives to Netherlands at 53%.

Likeliest score1–113.2%
First goal0-15'33.5%
Both teams score48.9%
Over 2.5 goals44.3%
Top scorerDepay12.8%
Expected goals1.5 - 1.0
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring Netherlands

  • ·Elo advantage of 57 points over Japan
  • ·Expected goals 1.47 vs 1.07
  • ·H2H record: 2W-1D-0L in 3 meetings

What the model can't fully price

  • ·Squad availability: 3 carrying a fitness doubt across the two squads, 1 of them projected starters. The forecast does not adjust for who is missing: its lineup channel currently contributes zero, so this is context the probabilities do not include.

Form check

Netherlands

Improving

Netherlands: 4W-2D-0L in their last 6 internationals.

4W-2D-0L in last 6

Japan

Improving

Japan: 5W-1D-0L in their last 6 internationals.

5W-1D-0L in last 6

Analysis

How it plays out

Netherlands's structured press game meets Japan's low block shape. Japan will concede territory deliberately and look to hit the spaces Netherlands's high line leaves behind. Netherlands's aggressive press (PPDA 20.6) against Japan's deeper build-up (PPDA 26.7) creates a clear territory question: can Netherlands force errors high up, or will Japan play through the press and find space behind it?

What decides it

Netherlands press high (PPDA 20.6). If the press doesn't win the ball early, the space behind their back line becomes exposed. Japan defend deep and limit space. Set pieces and individual errors become the most likely routes to goal. Memphis Depay's 12.8% scoring probability is the highest in this fixture. Containing that output is Japan's primary defensive task.

Off the pitch

Hajime Moriyasu (8 years in charge of Japan) vs Ronald Koeman (3 years). That tenure gap shows up in squad familiarity and set-piece coordination.

The angle

Likely the last World Cup for Virgil van Dijk. Tournament experience at this level is hard to quantify but hard to replace.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 1–1 (13.2%) · xG 1.5 - 1.0

Expected goals

Netherlands
1.46
Japan
0.99

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–1
    13.2%
  • 1–0
    11.9%
  • 0–0
    9.4%
  • 2–0
    9.2%
  • 2–1
    9.1%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    30.0%
  • 1–0
    20.8%
  • 0–1
    13.8%
  • 1–1
    11.3%
  • 2–0
    7.9%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    90.6%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    71.0%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    44.3%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    23.2%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    10.2%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    3.9%
  • Both teams score
    48.9%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Netherlands clean sheetOpposing team scores zero37.3%
  • Japan clean sheetOpposing team scores zero23.2%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Netherlands by 4+
    3.0%
  • Netherlands by 3+
    9.4%
  • Netherlands by 2+
    23.9%
  • Netherlands by 1+
    47.4%
  • Draw
    27.9%
  • Japan by 1+
    24.7%
  • Japan by 2+
    9.1%
  • Japan by 3+
    2.5%
  • Japan by 4+
    0.5%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 44.3% · BTTS 48.9%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Netherlands ahead48.2%
  • Level26.4%
  • Japan ahead25.5%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    33.5%
  • 15–30
    22.3%
  • 30–45
    14.8%
  • 45–60
    9.8%
  • 60–75
    6.6%
  • 75–90
    4.3%
  • No goal
    8.6%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HNetherlands winDDrawAJapan win
HNetherlands ahead30.4%4.7%1.3%
DLevel15.6%17.3%9.3%
AJapan ahead2.0%4.6%14.7%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Netherlands trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    6.6%
  • Japan trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    5.9%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Depay (12.8%)

Match detail

Netherlands

Model-rated key players: Memphis Depay (FW) — P(scores) 12.8%; Donyell Malen (FW) — P(scores) 8.9%; Cody Gakpo (FW) — P(scores) 4.8%.

How they play

Netherlands under Ronald Koeman play a structured press game with 54% possession. Their likely shape is a other, though they have also used 5-3-2. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 20.6) and build patiently through midfield with 7.7 passes per attacking sequence.

What they must execute

Netherlands need their high press to force turnovers in dangerous areas — if opponents can play through the press, the space left behind is vulnerable. Physical conditioning and squad rotation will be critical to sustain pressing intensity across a long tournament. Managing minutes for Virgil van Dijk across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Top scorer: Donyell MalenModel's top anytime-scorer for the team — 28% probability of scoring at least once, rank #8 of all players.
Touchline: Ronald KoemanFirst World Cup as head coach, appointed 2023.
Teen starter: Jorrel Hato20 at kickoff — 7 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.

Japan

Model-rated key players: Daichi Kamada (MF) — P(scores) 6.1%; Ayase Ueda (FW) — P(scores) 2.2%; Daizen Maeda (FW) — P(scores) 1.9%.

How they play

Japan under Hajime Moriyasu play a low block game, with just 44% possession — among the lowest in the field. Their likely shape is a 4-2-3-1, though they have also used other. They sit deeper and pick their moments to press (PPDA 26.7).

What they must execute

Japan will look to stay compact and frustrate opponents, limiting space and hitting on the break. Set-piece proficiency — both attacking and defending — becomes critical when open-play chances are limited by design. Managing minutes for Yūto Nagatomo across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Last dance: Yūto Nagatomo39 at kickoff with 144 caps — probably his final World Cup.
Minutes load: XI averaged 2,620 club minutes in 2024-25 — #2 of 43 in the field. Heavy pre-tournament load on the starting eleven.
Heat schedule: 3 group-stage matches at venues averaging 26°C+ — Dallas, Monterrey, Dallas (peak 29.4°C average).
Workload going in

Netherlands's predicted XI averages 1,959 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (moderate load).

Netherlands coverage: 67.0% (10/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · Japan: 46.0% (6/11).

Set-piece outlook

Netherlands historically converts 14.8% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.22 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Japan converts 6.3% from set-pieces (0.06 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.28 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(Netherlands scores set-piece goal) 19.4%
  • P(Japan scores set-piece goal) 6.0%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 24.3%

Netherlands: Donyell Malen on corners (20 corners), Frenkie de Jong on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23) · Japan: Takefusa Kubo on corners (18 corners), Daichi Kamada on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)

Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Netherlands, the model gives 73.3% conversion, 71.4% for Japan.

Netherlands primary PK: Memphis Depay (4/5 in 2021-22, per fbref 2022 23) · Japan primary PK: Daichi Kamada (2/2 in 2022-23, per fbref 2022 23).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

Netherlandsstructured-press
PPDA
20.6
Possession
54%
Directness (yds/pass)
5.3
Long balls/90
31
Set-piece xG
15%
Japanlow-block
PPDA
26.7
Possession
44%
Directness (yds/pass)
6.5
Long balls/90
35
Set-piece xG
6%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Netherlands

  1. Bart VerbruggenGoalkeeperCover: Robin Roefs · 0.570.40gap
  2. Donyell MalenStrikerCover: Brian Brobbey · 0.560.36gap
  3. Memphis DepayStrikerCover: Brian Brobbey · 0.560.14gap

Japan

  1. Ayase UedaStrikerCover: Yuito Suzuki · 0.310.34gap
  2. Kōki OgawaStrikerCover: Yuito Suzuki · 0.310.14gap
  3. Takefusa KuboWingerCover: Keito Nakamura · 0.590.13gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

  • AltitudeNear sea level168 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window29.4 °C
  • Avg humidity63%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~30.8 °CHigh heat stress
  • Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf

Indoor artificial-turf stadium; a temporary natural-grass pitch on a sand root-zone is laid over the turf for the tournament.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Afternoon kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

Netherlands
Japan

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Netherlands

vs Morocco · avg 5.0

5
El Idrissi
ATK
DEF
PAS

Japan

vs Brazil · avg 6.7

8
SuzukiGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
SanoAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
TomiyasuCB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Netherlands
8
Virgil van Dijk51'–51'

Scored a powerful header to give the Netherlands the lead.

1goals

Match timeline

51'Virgil van Dijk scores for Netherlands with a powerful header.
7
Crysencio Summerville60'–69'

Scored a strong strike to put the Netherlands ahead but also received a yellow card.

1goals1 yellow

Match timeline

60'Crysencio Summerville receives a yellow card.
64'Crysencio Summerville scores for Netherlands with a strong strike.
69'Teun Koopmeiners replaces Crysencio Summerville, and Quinten Timber replaces Tijjani Reijnders for Netherlands.
7
Bart Verbruggen

Made several key saves, preventing Japan from scoring on multiple occasions.

1saves

Match timeline

6
Teun Koopmeiners69'–69'

Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.

Match timeline

69'Teun Koopmeiners replaces Crysencio Summerville, and Quinten Timber replaces Tijjani Reijnders for Netherlands.
6
Quinten Timber69'–69'

Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.

Match timeline

69'Teun Koopmeiners replaces Crysencio Summerville, and Quinten Timber replaces Tijjani Reijnders for Netherlands.
6
Tijjani Reijnders69'–69'

Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

69'Teun Koopmeiners replaces Crysencio Summerville, and Quinten Timber replaces Tijjani Reijnders for Netherlands.
6
Brian Brobbey84'–84'

Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.

Match timeline

84'Brian Brobbey replaces Cody Gakpo for Netherlands.
6
Cody Gakpo84'–84'

Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

84'Brian Brobbey replaces Cody Gakpo for Netherlands.
5
Micky van de Ven90'–90'

Received a yellow card late in the match.

1 yellow

Match timeline

90'Micky van de Ven receives a yellow card.
Japan
8
Keito Nakamura57'–57'

Scored a well-placed shot to equalize for Japan.

1goals

Match timeline

57'Keito Nakamura scores for Japan with a well-placed shot.
8
Koki Ogawa

Came off the bench to score a vital equalizer for Japan.

7
Zion Suzuki

Made several crucial saves to deny the Netherlands scoring opportunities.

1saves

Match timeline

6
Junya Ito

Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.

6
Daizen Maeda65'–65'

Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

65'Junya Ito replaces Daizen Maeda for Japan.
6
Takefusa Kubo74'–74'

Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

74'Koki Ogawa replaces Takefusa Kubo, and Takehiro Tomiyasu replaces Tsuyoshi Watanabe for Japan.
6
Takehiro Tomiyasu74'–74'

Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.

Match timeline

74'Koki Ogawa replaces Takefusa Kubo, and Takehiro Tomiyasu replaces Tsuyoshi Watanabe for Japan.
6
Tsuyoshi Watanabe74'–74'

Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

74'Koki Ogawa replaces Takefusa Kubo, and Takehiro Tomiyasu replaces Tsuyoshi Watanabe for Japan.
6
Kento Shiogai83'–83'

Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.

Match timeline

83'Kento Shiogai replaces Ayase Ueda for Japan.
6
Ayase Ueda83'–83'

Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.

Match timeline

83'Kento Shiogai replaces Ayase Ueda for Japan.

Match observations

  • The match was a hard-fought contest with both teams displaying strong attacking intent.
  • Netherlands gained the lead twice, first through a header from Virgil van Dijk and then a strike from Crysencio Summerville.
  • Japan showed resilience, equalising on both occasions with goals from Keito Nakamura and Koki Ogawa.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

Netherlands vs Japan

Moderate (5.6%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
49.9%
22.0%
28.1%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
47.1%
27.6%
25.4%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
47.1%
26.5%
26.3%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
50.9%
25.7%
23.4%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
52.8%
24.1%
23.2%
Home spread: 2.8%
Draw spread: 5.6%
Away spread: 2.8%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(Netherlands win)44.6%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(Netherlands win)44.6%
Netherlands
44.6%
Draw
25.0%
Japan
30.3%

Decomposition of the published P(Netherlands win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
14 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNArlington22D
16 Nov 2013FriendlyNGenk22D
19 Jun 2010FIFA World CupNDurban10W
5 Sep 2009FriendlyHEnschede30W

Netherlands vs Japan, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Netherlands's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for Netherlands or Japan.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group F · Matchday 1
Date:
14 Jun
Beyond the model

Ranked by likely importance. None of these feed the forecast: the probabilities rest on team strength, venue conditions and the style matchup.

  1. 1.Squad availability: 1 carrying a fitness doubt across the two squads. The forecast does not adjust for who is missing: its lineup channel currently contributes zero, so this is context the probabilities do not include.
Availability

Netherlands

Netherlands come in at close to full strength.

Japan

Japan: 1 carrying a fitness doubt.

  • DoubtWataru Endo (midfielder) is carrying Foot injury — a depth-level fitness watch item.
What it means

Both projected XIs look intact; the fitness concerns are at squad-depth level rather than among first-choice starters.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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