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Report by TribunJatim.com Journalist, Khairul Amin

SURABAYA – The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place from 11 June to 19 July across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Although Indonesia will not be among the participants in the 2026 World Cup, local football fans are still swept up in the excitement of the global football festival held every four years.

This edition will be the biggest in the tournament’s history.

For the first time, the World Cup will be hosted across three nations and feature 48 competing teams, an increase from the previous 32-team format.

Real Threats from Japan and Tunisia

The 2026 World Cup fever has also reached Rakhmat Basuki, Assistant Coach of Madura United.

He believes that this year’s World Cup will be even more captivating.

Speaking about the competition landscape, the coach from Madura admitted that predicting outcomes will be challenging.

“The group distribution seems quite balanced in this World Cup. Big teams likely won’t face major difficulties advancing from the group stage,” Rakhmat Basuki told TribunJatim.com.

“Perhaps the most competitive is Group F. The Netherlands will have to work extremely hard to overcome Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia,” he added.

Group F in the 2026 World Cup consists of the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Despite consistently featuring star players, the Netherlands have never lifted the World Cup trophy in their history of participation.

The Dutch team finished as runners-up three times: in 1974, 1978, and 2010, and secured third place once, in the 2014 World Cup.

Similarly, Sweden have yet to be crowned World Cup champions in their history.

Sweden finished as runners-up once, in 1958, claimed third place twice, in 1950 and 1994, and finished fourth in the 1938 edition.

The two European powerhouses will face two emerging football nations whose progress has been impressive in recent years.

Japan stand out as a serious contender, even though the team from the Land of the Rising Sun has yet to achieve a major breakthrough on the World Cup stage. The same applies to Tunisia.

“The last three countries I mentioned have shown rapid football development, especially Japan and Tunisia,” he concluded.

The Group F competition will kick off with a match between the Netherlands and Japan at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Sunday, 14 June 2026.

It will be followed by a clash between Sweden and Tunisia the next day, Monday, 15 June 2026, at Monterrey Stadium (BBVA Stadium).