
The Netherlands booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 as Group F winners after defeating Tunisia 3-1 in Kansas City. The Dutch finished with seven points from three matches and will now face Morocco in the knockout stage.
The Netherlands made a dream start, taking the lead in just the third minute after Denzel Dumfries’ dangerous cross deflected off Tunisia midfielder Ellyes Skhiri into his own net.
Only four minutes later, Brian Brobbey doubled the advantage. Following a flicked header from Virgil van Dijk off a free-kick delivered by Tijjani Reijnders, Brobbey reacted quickest to score his third goal of the tournament.
Tunisia pulled one back in the 54th minute when Hazem Mastouri headed home from a corner delivered by Hannibal Mejbri, briefly raising hopes of a comeback.
However, the Netherlands restored their two-goal cushion in the 62nd minute as defender Jan Paul van Hecke scored his maiden FIFA World Cup goal with a powerful header from another Reijnders corner.
Netherlands Finish Top of Group F
The victory ensured the Dutch topped Group F with seven points, edging Sweden into second place. The Netherlands will now meet Morocco in the Round of 32 in Monterrey, Mexico.
Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made three saves for the Netherlands, while Tunisia’s Aymen Dahmen stopped four efforts despite conceding three goals.
Sweden Also Progress to Knockout Stage
In the other Group F fixture, Sweden secured a 1-1 draw against Japan. Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead before Anthony Elanga equalised in the second half, confirming qualification for both teams.
Japan finished second in the group and will face five-time champions Brazil in the Round of 32, while Sweden also progressed to the knockout stage.
Tunisia End Campaign Without a Win
Tunisia exited the tournament after losing all three group matches. They finished bottom of Group F with zero points, scoring just two goals while conceding 12 across the competition.
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