Tunisia vs Japan
Japan cruises to commanding win over Tunisia
A clinical display sees Japan rack up four goals with Ueda starring.
Japan delivered a dominant performance in the World Cup clash, dismantling Tunisia 4-0. D. Kamada set the tone early with a goal in the 4th minute, followed by A. Ueda's brace and J. Ito's strike after the break. The result matched Fipster's prediction of an away win, though the margin was far more emphatic than the modest 2-1 forecast.
Analysis
Tunisia and Japan face off in a crucial Group Stage encounter at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Both teams are eager to improve their standing after opening matches, with Japan holding a slight edge in squad quality and recent form.
Tunisia enters this match with six prior World Cup appearances, their best finish being the Group Stage. Japan has appeared seven times before, reaching the Round of 16 on four occasions. Neither team is hosting this tournament, and both qualified directly or through their confederations.
Japan boasts a moderate calibre advantage with 12 players in top-5 European leagues, including key figures like Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace and Wataru Endo of Liverpool. Tunisia fields six such players, including Ellyes Skhiri of Eintracht Frankfurt. Japan's recent form is steadier, holding one point and a neutral goal difference, while Tunisia is yet to earn points and has a -4 goal difference. This balance of squad strength and form suggests a narrow win for Japan.
Prediction
We predict Japan to win 2-1 against Tunisia. The match is expected to be competitive, with Japan's attacking talents like Kamada and Keito Nakamura likely to make the difference. Tunisia's midfield, led by Hannibal Mejbri, will look to control play, but Japan's overall quality should prevail.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
Tunisia's Mejbri Controls Midfield
Mejbri's high passing and duel success could dominate midfield, enabling Tunisia's attacks.
Japan's Kamada and Nakamura Form
Both have scored in last matches with strong attacking stats, supporting Japan's predicted win.
Tunisia's Defensive Solidity Questioned
Despite Rekik's goal, Tunisia conceded 5 goals last away game, indicating defensive vulnerability.
Balanced Scoring Threats on Both Sides
Both teams have multiple players with recent goals and assists, suggesting a competitive match.
Key Takeaways
This Group Stage fixture promises a close contest with Japan edging out Tunisia thanks to their stronger squad and steadier form. Fans can expect a spirited match with tactical battles in midfield and moments of individual brilliance.
- Tunisia has 6 prior World Cup appearances; best finish is Group Stage.
- Japan has 7 prior World Cup appearances; best finish is Round of 16.
- Japan fields 12 players in top-5 European leagues; Tunisia fields 6.
- Tunisia has 0 points and -4 goal difference after 1 group match.
- Japan has 1 point and 0 goal difference after 1 group match.
- Match is part of Group Stage matchday 2 of FIFA World Cup 2026.
- Neither Tunisia nor Japan is a host nation for this tournament.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Tunisia
Away — Japan
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
FIFA world ranking
Kamada
Assist: Nakamura
Ueda
Assist: Itakura
Saad
Bronn
Tounekti
Ito
Assist: Ueda
Kamada
Dōan
Nakamura
Tomiyasu
Ueda
Assist: Sano
Ueda
Skhiri
Abdi
Match Statistics
Tunisia
3-4-2-1Starting XI
- 2A. AbdiM
- 3M. TalbiD
- 4O. RekikD
- 6D. BronnD
- 8E. SaadF
- 10H. MejbriF
- 16A. DahmenG
- 17E. SkhiriM
- 20Y. ValeryM
- 25A. Ben SlimaneM
- 26S. TounektiF
Substitutes
- 1C. AbdelmouhibG
- 5A. ArousD
- 7E. AchouriM
- 9H. MastouriF
- 11Ismaël GharbiF
- 12M. Ben OuanesM
- 13R. KhediraM
- 14K. AyariF
- 15H. MahmoudM
- 18R. ElloumiF
- 19F. ChaouatF
- 21A. Ben HmidaD
- 22S. Ben HsanG
- 23M. NeffatiD
- 24R. ChikhaouiD
Japan
3-4-2-1Starting XI
- 1Z. SuzukiG
- 4K. ItakuraD
- 7A. TanakaM
- 10R. DōanM
- 13Keito NakamuraM
- 14J. ItoF
- 15D. KamadaF
- 18A. UedaF
- 21H. ItoD
- 22T. TomiyasuD
- 24K. SanoM
Substitutes
- 2Y. SugawaraD
- 3S. TaniguchiD
- 5Y. NagatomoD
- 9K. GotoF
- 11D. MaedaF
- 12K. OsakoG
- 16T. WatanabeD
- 17Y. SuzukiM
- 19Koki OgawaF
- 20A. SekoD
- 23T. HayakawaG
- 25J. SuzukiD
- 26K. ShiogaiF
Tunisia
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hannibal Mejbri | F | 93 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/1 |
| Anis Ben Slimane | M | 93 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Ali Abdi | M | 91 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Yan Valery | M | 93 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Elias Saad | F | 45 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Dylan Bronn | D | 45 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sebastian Tounekti | F | 64 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ellyes Skhiri(C) | M | 91 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Montassar Talbi | D | 93 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Omar Rekik | D | 93 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Aymen Dahmen | G | 93 | 5.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Rani Khedira | M | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Elias Achouri | M | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sabri Ben Hessen | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mortadha Ben Ouanes | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mohamed Belhadj Mahmoud | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hazem Mastouri | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Moataz Nefati | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adem Arous | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Khalil Ayari | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raed Chikhaoui | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abdelmouhib Chamakh | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rayan Elloumi | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ismael Gharbi | F | 48 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Firas Chaouat | F | 29 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Amine Ben Hmida | D | 48 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Japan
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayase Ueda | F | 84 | 9.7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1/2 |
| Kaishu Sano | M | 93 | 7.7 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
| Keito Nakamura | M | 79 | 7.7 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2/2 |
| Ko Itakura(C) | D | 93 | 7.6 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | D | 79 | 7.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Ao Tanaka | M | 93 | 7.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Hiroki Itō | D | 93 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Junya Ito | F | 93 | 7.0 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/8 |
| Zion Suzuki | G | 93 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Daichi Kamada | F | 73 | 6.7 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 |
| Ritsu Doan | M | 74 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Yuto Nagatomo | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tsuyoshi Watanabe | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shogo Taniguchi | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keisuke Osako | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Daizen Maeda | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Koki Ogawa | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tomoki Hayakawa | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kento Shiogai | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Junnosuke Suzuki | D | 20 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ayumu Seko | D | 14 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Keisuke Goto | F | 9 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yuito Suzuki | M | 14 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yukinari Sugawara | D | 19 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |