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Both of these sides had very healthy corner counts during qualifying:

Netherlands - 6.50 corners per game
Japan - 7.20 corners per game

Both teams were quite dominant during qualifying, so these numbers are a bit inflated, but they should still both be able to contribute to the nine corners we’re looking for in this Group F clash.

The context is important here, these are easily the two strongest sides in the group so this is essentially a straight shootout for top spot with Sweden and Tunisia both being significantly weaker than Japan and the Netherlands.

I expect quite an open and end to end game as a result of the top two sides in this group facing off first, whoever tops this group will have a pretty kind route to the last eight so it’s a massive opportunity for both Netherlands and Japan who are outside the favourites to go all the way in the betting market. 

Japan saw 9+ match corners in 60% of their qualifying matches, registering 5+ corners themselves in 87% of these games. Ronald Koeman’s side were just as dominant in the corner department, registering at least 6 corners in 75% of their qualifying matches.

Furthermore, when looking at the friendly matches both sides have contested this year - high corner counts look to be a consistent theme. Japan saw just under 10 corners per game across their three friendly matches, conceding as many as 11 corners in one of these games which was their 1-0 victory over England.

Netherlands saw 9+ match corners in three of their four friendly matches this year, averaging 9.25 match corners per game across these fixtures. 

Egypt were beaten 2-1 by Brazil in their most recent friendly, putting them on a bit of a low for their opening World Cup fixture.

By contrast, Belgium thrashed Tunisia 5-0, meaning they are unbeaten in all four of their friendlies heading into the World Cup, with 13 goals scored in that time. Even though they were helped by a red card for Tunisia last time out, Belgium were already firmly in control of proceedings.

They will hope to extend that positive run of form against Egypt here, especially considering how the Pharaohs were slightly unconvincing at the recent AFCON.

Despite making it to the semi-finals, Egypt were quite defensive in their approach against the top sides, opting to play on the counter.

If Egypt persists with those tactics, it is likely to be one-way traffic in Seattle, with Belgium dominating.

Egypt conceded an average of 5.14 corners per game at AFCON, despite being favourites for most of their games, and both Senegal and Ivory Coast cleared this line against them in the knockouts.

Belgium have more attacking firepower than both of those nations, and they averaged 10.38 corners per game during the World Cup qualifiers. They even managed to hit double figures in six of those eight matches, which shows how they were incredibly effective at getting to the byline and creating dangerous chances.

Belgium even had 14 corners against Tunisia last time out.

Mo Salah will naturally attract the most attention when Egypt are playing, but Omar Marmoush is another significant threat in the final third, and he looks set to lead the line for his national side.

The Man City forward did not have his most prolific domestic season under Guardiola, but he bagged 28 goals in the 24/25 campaign, which shows just how devastating he can be in the final third.

He also displayed his quality on the international stage at AFCON 2025, scoring twice in six appearances, and he looked a constant threat for Egypt when they did break forward.

The Pharaohs might not have much possession in this game, but Marmoush can be effective in transition.

Jeremy Doku is expected to start on the left wing for Belgium, the opposite side to where he plays for Man City.

The winger had an average of 3.35 fouls drawn per 90 during Belgium's World Cup qualifying matches and 2.9 in their Nations League campaign. Those numbers remained impressively high domestically, as Doku was fouled more times than any other player in the Man City squad, averaging 2.92 fouls drawn per 90.

Ahmed Fattouh looks set to be Doku’s direct matchup, and he won’t be accustomed to facing a player as tricky or direct as the 24-year-old. Fattouh should be heavily involved defensively, which makes his foul prices appeal.

Kevin De Bruyne is still going strong at 34-years-old, and he looks set for a big role at the World Cup after recovering from his hamstring injury.

He finished the domestic season with five goals from 18 Serie A appearances for Napoli, and he bettered that tally with six goals from six appearances for Belgium in their qualifying matches.

The attacking midfielder also had an average of 4.12 shots per 90 in those games - the highest of any player in the entire national squad, and he managed to get on the scoresheet against Tunisia last time out.

De Bruyne will be the designated free-kick taker for Belgium, and potentially on penalties too, which makes him one to target in the final third.

Netherlands have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four matches since the qualifying campaign concluded, and their form in the warm-up friendlies has raised concerns heading into this tournament. They were beaten 1-0 by Algeria before scraping past Uzbekistan with a 2-1 win, after Cody Gakpo scored from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Netherlands also had a man sent off in that game for a handball. 

Japan were totally dominant in their qualifying campaign, and they recently managed to beat England in a friendly. They have proven that they can cause problems for the elite European sides, and so the Samurai Blue will fancy their chances of at least getting on the scoresheet here. 

With that being said, keeping the Netherlands at bay will be a tough task - they have real quality in their ranks, with talent playing all across Europe’s elite teams.

These are the two best sides in Group F on paper, and they should approach this match with real ambition, knowing that a win will put them in a great position to finish top of the group to set up a favourable knockout draw.

Netherlands are a team that likes to commit bodies forward into their attacks, with overlapping fullbacks, which create crossing opportunities. They had an average of 6.5 corners per game in their World Cup qualifying matches, while Japan recorded an average of 7.2 corners per game in the AFC pathway. It is worth noting, however, that they didn’t face a side anywhere near as strong as the Netherlands.

In fact, Japan may have come away with a 1-0 win against England recently, but they managed just 30% possession, and the Three Lions were unfortunate to score given that they had eleven corners.

Gakpo put in a standout performance in the recent friendly win over Uzbekistan, scoring both Dutch goals from the penalty spot.

He is expected to play a key role on the left wing at the World Cup, and it seems like Ronald Koeman trusts him as one of the more senior players in the squad. Gakpo scored four goals from eight starts for his national side in the qualifiers, finishing with an average of 2.48 shots per 90, which was one of the highest figures in the squad.

44% of those efforts hit the target, indicating he tends to be accurate when the space opens up. He contributed heavily to the Netherlands’ unbeaten record of six wins and two draws from their eight games.

Virgil Van Dijk is arguably one of the most dangerous aerial threats of any player in world football, and he will be the primary target when the Netherlands get a chance to send the ball into the box.

The Liverpool centre back had an average of 1.25 shots per 90 in the World Cup qualifying campaign, contributing two goals in that time. 

He also registered a shot in five out of six appearances at Euro 2024, landing this selection in all three group stage games.

Looking at the Japan squad, there isn’t really anyone who can match Van Dijk’s level of physicality, so the Netherlands will hope to tap into that edge this weekend.

Ritsu Doan is expected to feature in a right wingback position for Japan at the World Cup, which puts him right up against Gakpo in this opening fixture.

In addition to his goalscoring contributions, Gakpo also had an average of 1.79 fouls drawn per 90 in the qualifiers, which shows just how much of the ball he tends to see. 

Doan is used to playing in a more advanced position for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, but he still averaged 1.02 fouls per 90 this season.

He is tenacious in his duels and often looks to drop deeper to help out his fullback, so playing at wingback suits him nicely. That matchup on the flank is one to keep an eye on.

Memphis Depay played a key role for the Netherlands in their qualifying run, and the 32-year-old has been included in the squad for the World Cup, but it’s Donyell Malen who looks set to lead the line.

He had an excellent second half of the season, scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances for Roma after joining from Aston Villa in January. He comes into this World Cup in a rich vein of form and will hope to maintain that output. 

Perhaps the one thing that the Netherlands have lacked recently is a real finisher in the final third - Malen will hope to fill that void this summer, as the Dutch are not short of creative players who can create chances.

Keito Nakamura is expected to occupy the left wingback position in Moriyasu's 3-4-3 system, but he is still given plenty of license to get forward and join in the attacks.

He had an average of 2.17 shots per 90 during the qualifiers, as he often looked to arrive late in the box and create overloads. 

Nakamura scored 14 goals from 29 appearances for Reims in the French second division this season, and four of those goals came in the final game of the campaign against Pau.

Nakamura can be devastating in the final third, and he should be full of confidence heading into this clash against the Netherlands.

Van Dijk will hope to cause problems in the final third, but he will primarily be tasked with keeping Japan at bay here.

He isn’t particularly renowned for jumping into tackles, but Van Dijk did average 2.0 fouls per 90 for the Netherlands during Euro 2024, which was the highest figure in the Dutch squad, and he picked up two bookings.

Even during the qualifiers, he had an average of 1.0 fouls per game, with multiple infringements committed in three of his eight starts, which shows how he tends to be a bit more aggressive when playing on the international stage. 

Japan's attacking unit is fluid, and they will aim to pull Van Dijk out of position and cause problems for the Dutch defender.

After narrowly escaping relegation with Spurs, Micky Van De Ven will be hoping for a more positive outcome at the World Cup, and he is given a slightly different role for his national side.

Van De Ven is typically deployed at left back by Koeman, which means he typically has more ground to cover out wide. 

He will have to deal with Takefusa Kubo cutting inside from the right and Doan, who often looks to drive forward from his wingback position to create overlapping runs.

Kubo had an average of 2.83 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for Real Sociedad this season, so Van De Ven is likely to have his hands full.

Doku was the standout performer for Belgium during their qualifying matches, as he chipped in with five goals and two assists from his eight appearances.

He then added a further two assists to his tally against Tunisia last time out, which shows just how important he is to his national side. Despite playing on the left wing, Doku has still been efficient in the final third and incredibly difficult to predict.

He ended the season in a real rich vein of form for Man City, almost single-handedly keeping them in the title race at times, and he will hope to maintain that excellent form at the World Cup.

Hamdy Fathy recorded the highest foul count of any Egyptian player in their AFCON campaign, averaging 2.24 fouls per 90 from his seven appearances in the competition.

He committed multiple infringements in five of his six starts, so he was extremely fortunate to escape with just a single yellow card. Fathy typically operates in a defensive midfield role, meaning he will be tasked with stopping counterattacks, which might prove a difficult job against a side like Belgium.

Fathy plays in the Qatari Stars League for Al-Wakrah, which means the quality and pace of Belgium's forward line is an entirely different challenge to what he normally faces, and he should have plenty of defensive work to get through here.

Maxim De Cuyper looks set to start at left back against Egypt, and he should be able to get forward into promising advanced areas.

He scored twice from his 30 Premier League appearances for Brighton this season, which doesn’t quite exemplify just how regularly he looked to get forward.

De Cuyper had an average of 2.36 shots per 90 across his six starts in Belgium’s qualifiers, and two of those efforts managed to find the back of the net.

He is afforded plenty of attacking freedom by Rudi Garcia, who likes his fullbacks to be aggressive and push into attacking positions, which bodes well for De Cuyper here.

Youri Tielemans is expected to partner Amadou Onana in midfield for Belgium, and the two will be familiar with each other from playing at Aston Villa as teammates.

Tielemans is typically the one who looks to get on the ball more often, dictating play, and he should see plenty of involvement if Egypt sit deep.

Tielemans has been fouled at least twice in each of his last four appearances for Belgium, and he had an average of 1.77 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for Aston Villa this season.

He is adept at using his body to retain possession and deal with opponents pressing him, which makes this price stand out.