Group F · Matchday 1
NetherlandsvsJapan
2026-06-14·15:00 localPredictions finalised
The forecast
Match-outcome probability
- Netherlands win44.6%
- Draw25.0%
- Japan win30.3%
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%.
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
ImprovingNetherlands: 4W-2D-0L in their last 6 internationals.
4W-2D-0L in last 6
Japan
ImprovingJapan: 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
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 1–113.2%
- 1–011.9%
- 0–09.4%
- 2–09.2%
- 2–19.1%
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
- 0–030.0%
- 1–020.8%
- 0–113.8%
- 1–111.3%
- 2–07.9%
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 goals90.6%
- More than 1.5 goals71.0%
- More than 2.5 goals44.3%
- More than 3.5 goals23.2%
- More than 4.5 goals10.2%
- More than 5.5 goals3.9%
- Both teams score48.9%
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%
- Draw27.9%
- 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
- 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
- 0–1533.5%
- 15–3022.3%
- 30–4514.8%
- 45–609.8%
- 60–756.6%
- 75–904.3%
- No goal8.6%
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
| HT ↓ / FT → | HNetherlands win | DDraw | AJapan win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HNetherlands ahead | 30.4% | 4.7% | 1.3% |
| DLevel | 15.6% | 17.3% | 9.3% |
| AJapan ahead | 2.0% | 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 FT6.6%
- Japan trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT5.9%
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%.
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.
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.
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%.
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).
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.
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).
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)
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
- PPDA
- 20.6
- Possession
- 54%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 5.3
- Long balls/90
- 31
- Set-piece xG
- 15%
- 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
- Bart VerbruggenGoalkeeperCover: Robin Roefs · 0.570.40gap
- Donyell MalenStrikerCover: Brian Brobbey · 0.560.36gap
- Memphis DepayStrikerCover: Brian Brobbey · 0.560.14gap
Japan
- Ayase UedaStrikerCover: Yuito Suzuki · 0.310.34gap
- Kōki OgawaStrikerCover: Yuito Suzuki · 0.310.14gap
- 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)
- Memphis DepayPKFW12.8%
- Donyell MalenFW8.9%
- Cody GakpoFW4.8%
- Daichi KamadaPKMF6.1%
- Ayase UedaFW2.2%
- Daizen MaedaFW1.9%
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
Japan
vs Brazil · avg 6.7
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.
8Virgil van Dijk51'–51'Scored a powerful header to give the Netherlands the lead.
1goals▼
Scored a powerful header to give the Netherlands the lead.
Match timeline
7Crysencio Summerville60'–69'Scored a strong strike to put the Netherlands ahead but also received a yellow card.
1goals1 yellow▼
Scored a strong strike to put the Netherlands ahead but also received a yellow card.
Match timeline
7Bart VerbruggenMade several key saves, preventing Japan from scoring on multiple occasions.
1saves▼
Made several key saves, preventing Japan from scoring on multiple occasions.
Match timeline
6Teun Koopmeiners69'–69'Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
▼
Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
Match timeline
6Quinten Timber69'–69'Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
▼
Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
Match timeline
6Tijjani Reijnders69'–69'Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
6Brian Brobbey84'–84'Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.
▼
Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.
Match timeline
6Cody Gakpo84'–84'Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
5Micky van de Ven90'–90'Received a yellow card late in the match.
1 yellow▼
Received a yellow card late in the match.
Match timeline
8Keito Nakamura57'–57'Scored a well-placed shot to equalize for Japan.
1goals▼
Scored a well-placed shot to equalize for Japan.
Match timeline
8Koki OgawaCame off the bench to score a vital equalizer for Japan.
Came off the bench to score a vital equalizer for Japan.
7Zion SuzukiMade several crucial saves to deny the Netherlands scoring opportunities.
1saves▼
Made several crucial saves to deny the Netherlands scoring opportunities.
Match timeline
6Junya ItoCame on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
6Daizen Maeda65'–65'Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
6Takefusa Kubo74'–74'Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
6Takehiro Tomiyasu74'–74'Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
▼
Came on as a substitute but had no notable impact.
Match timeline
6Tsuyoshi Watanabe74'–74'Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for a significant portion of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
6Kento Shiogai83'–83'Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.
▼
Came on as a late substitute but had no notable impact.
Match timeline
6Ayase Ueda83'–83'Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.
▼
Played for most of the match without any specific mentions.
Match timeline
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
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 49.9% | 22.0% | 28.1% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 47.1% | 27.6% | 25.4% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 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% |
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%
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
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score | Result | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 2026 | FIFA World Cup | NArlington | 2–2 | D | — |
| 16 Nov 2013 | Friendly | NGenk | 2–2 | D | — |
| 19 Jun 2010 | FIFA World Cup | NDurban | 1–0 | W | — |
| 5 Sep 2009 | Friendly | HEnschede | 3–0 | W | — |
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
No recent headlines for Netherlands or Japan.
- Stage:
- Group F · Matchday 1
- Date:
- 14 Jun
Ranked by likely importance. None of these feed the forecast: the probabilities rest on team strength, venue conditions and the style matchup.
- 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.
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.
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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