Netherlands and Japan draw 2-2 in World Cup opener, Van Dijk critical

A late deflection in Arlington turned what looked like a Dutch opening win into a warning for the rest of Group F. Japan twice erased the lead and left the Netherlands with a 2-2 draw at AT&T Stadium on June 14, in front of 69,285 spectators as both sides opened World Cup 2026 play.

Virgil van Dijk put the Netherlands in front in the 51st minute, heading home from a Ryan Gravenberch delivery. Japan answered six minutes later through Keito Nakamura, then watched Crysencio Summerville restore the Dutch lead in the 64th minute. The decisive moment came in the 88th minute, when Daichi Kamada met a Junya Ito corner and sent a header toward goal that took a touch off Koki Ogawa before beating Bart Verbruggen for the equalizer.

The result preserved the Netherlands’ unbeaten run in World Cup group play at 17 matches, but it also left Ronald Koeman’s side with only one point from its first match in a section that also includes Sweden and Tunisia. Twice in front, the Dutch could not close the game, a reminder that possession and momentum mean little if a team cannot manage the final minutes against an opponent willing to keep pressing.

Japan’s point carried broader weight than a single comeback. Hajime Moriyasu’s side showed the sort of resilience that has pushed it into the conversation as a dark horse, and the draw gave Japan a valuable start in a group where a single result can alter the path to the knockout rounds. Against a Dutch team expected to control the section, Japan produced the late answer and left the field with a result that could shape the tournament picture.

Koeman said the level on display had to be the Netherlands’ “minimal standard” if it wants to win the World Cup, and he defended his tactics and substitutions after the late equalizer denied his side victory. The message was plain: a team that wants to lift the trophy cannot afford to let a lead slip twice in the opening test.