ARLINGTON, Texas — Japan and Sweden punched their tickets to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after settling for a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their decisive Group F clash Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at AT&T Stadium, with both sides doing just enough to secure passage to the Round of 32.
Needing only a point to advance, the two nations traded second-half goals before Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki preserved the result with a pair of dramatic stoppage-time saves to deny Sweden a late winner.
Daizen Maeda broke the deadlock in the 56th minute after controlling a precise pass from Ritsu Doan inside the penalty area before calmly slotting the ball past Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.
Sweden answered just six minutes later when Anthony Elanga rifled a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box past Suzuki for his second goal of the tournament.
Japan survived a tense finish after Suzuki produced a diving save to stop Elanga in stoppage time before quickly recovering to deny Alexander Isak’s header from the ensuing corner, ensuring the draw that sent both teams through.
The result saw Japan finish second in Group F behind the Netherlands, which secured top spot with a 2-0 victory over Ivory Coast earlier in the day.
Japan advanced to the World Cup knockout stage for the third consecutive tournament and for the fifth time in its last seven appearances. The Blue Samurai will now face Brazil in a must-win Round of 32 showdown next week.
Meanwhile, Ecuador completed a spirited comeback to stun Germany, 2-1, in their final Group E match in New Jersey and book a place in the last 32.
Leroy Sané had given Germany the lead before Nilson Angulo equalized just nine minutes later. Gonzalo Plata then scored the winning goal with 13 minutes remaining to eliminate the Germans.
In other matches, the Netherlands defeated Tunisia, 3-1; Turkiye closed its campaign with a 3-2 win over the United States; while Paraguay and Australia settled for a scoreless draw./PN
