The Japan National Football Team defeated Tunisia in the 2nd match of Group F on the 20th (21st in Japan time) and secured 2nd place in Group F with 4 points. If they draw or win against Sweden in the final match of the group stage on the 25th (26th in Japan time), they will advance to the knockout stage.

If Japan finishes 1st

If Japan wins against Sweden and the Netherlands also wins, Japan will finish 1st in the group. In that case, the venue for the 1st round of the knockout stage will be Monterrey, Mexico. There will be many Japanese fans, and it will be like playing at home.

If Japan finishes 2nd or 3rd

If Japan finishes 2nd, the 1st round of the knockout stage will be on the 29th, and the venue will be Houston, USA. The opponent will be the 1st place team in Group C, which will likely be Brazil or Morocco. The 16-strong match will be on the 5th day after that, and the winners of Group E and Group I will be the opponents.

Which position will Japan finish in?

Regardless of which position Japan finishes in, the 1st round of the knockout stage will be a tough match against a strong opponent. After clearing this hurdle, finishing 1st will give Japan a relatively favorable opponent. The schedule will also be stable, with 4 days between matches after the 1st round. However, Japan will have to travel a long distance, and the time difference will also affect them.