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LIVE | FIFA World Cup 2026, Day 15: Netherlands, Japan and Sweden battle for top spot in Group F

Co-hosts the United States and Germany will bid to complete perfect World Cup group stage campaigns on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Japan look poised to join them in the last 32.
Members of the Sweden squad during a training session ahead of their Group F showdown against Japan.
Members of the Sweden squad during a training session ahead of their Group F showdown against Japan.(Photo | X, @svenskfotboll)
TNIE online desk
Summary

Welcome to TNIE's LIVE coverage of Day 15 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Day 15 will continue the tournament's six-games-a-day schedule, with Curacao taking on Ivory Coast in Group E and Ecuador facing Germany in the other fixture.

Ivory Coast are on course to finish second in the group and will be expected to overcome World Cup debutants Curacao. Germany have already secured top spot in Group E after victories over Curacao and Ivory Coast, putting behind them the disappointment of first-round exits at the previous two World Cups.

In Group F, Tunisia will face the Netherlands before Japan take on Sweden in a mouthwatering clash. The group remains wide open, with the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden all still in contention to finish top.

The day's final fixtures will see hosts USA take on Turkey in Group D, while Paraguay and Australia battle for second place.

Below are Day 15's fixtures, with all times in IST:

Group E

Curacao vs Ivory Coast - 1:30 am

Ecuador vs Germany - 1:30 am

Group F

Tunisia vs Netherlands - 4:30 am

Japan vs Sweden - 4:30 am

Group D

Turkey vs USA - 7:30 am.

Paraguay vs Australia - 7:30 am.

Christian Pulisic feels 'great,' hopes to play for US in final World Cup group game vs Turkey

Christian Pulisic says he feels "great" now after missing one World Cup match with a calf injury, and he hopes to play for the U.S. in its final group match against Turkey on Thursday night.

Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.

Pulisic said he nearly played in the U.S.' 2-0 victory over Australia last Friday but was held out to get closer to full fitness for the games ahead. He has returned to practice with his teammates this week after working out on his own last week before the trip to Seattle.

"I'm hoping to play a part in (the match against Turkey), for sure," Pulisic said before the U.S. training session Wednesday at Great Park. "I'll discuss that with my coaches and the medical staff. Obviously not a good chance I'll probably go and play 90 (minutes) right away after you come back and miss a game, but we'll see."

Undav has 3 goals and 2 assists off bench and still can't gain spot in Germany's starting lineup

Deniz Undav has three goals and two assists in 69 minutes at the World Cup, averaging a goal contribution every 13.8 minutes for a rate topping Lionel Messi (37.4), Kylian Mbappé (48.8) and Erling Haaland (51.2).

And the 29-year-old striker still hasn't earned a place in Germany's starting lineup.

“If I weren’t happy, if I weren't content, I wouldn’t be here,” he said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of Germany's group stage finale against Ecuador. “I accept the role.”

He entered in the 64th minute of the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao and had a goal and two assists, then came on in the 60th minute against Ivory Coast and scored twice as Die Mannschaft rallied for a 2-1 victory.

Germany coach Nagelsmann apologized this spring for comments he made after Undav entered at the start of the second half in a March friendly against Ghana and scored a tiebreaking 88th-minute goal. Nagelsmann said Undav didn’t have the necessary stamina to be a starter and scored because his legs were fresh.

Moriyasu vows Japan will play to win and top group against Sweden

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said Wednesday his side were focused solely on beating "a very strong" Sweden in their final group match and hoping that would be enough to finish top of Group F.

If Japan achieve a better result against the Swedes in Dallas on Thursday than the Netherlands do against already-eliminated Tunisia, they will advance in first place from the group and avoid Brazil in the last 32.

The group winners will face Morocco in Monterrey with the runners-up taking on the five-time World Cup champions in Houston the same day.

USA
Japan
Sweden
2026 FIFA World Cup

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The New Indian Express
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