Japan without Kubo, now ruled out; a win over a cornered Tunisia takes control of Group F

A cornered Tunisia, and a coach with days

Tunisia come into this match bottom of Group F: zero points, a minus-four goal difference, and a 5-1 loss to Sweden behind them. The federation responded by sacking Sabri Lamouchi and appointing Herve Renard on June 16 — the first time a men's World Cup team has changed coach after a single match (CBS Sports). Renard, who beat Argentina with Saudi Arabia in 2022, has had only days to settle a rattled squad, and another defeat all but ends Tunisia's tournament. That changes the kind of game Japan should expect. The Netherlands wanted the ball; a desperate Tunisia is more likely to sit deep, stay compact, and make Japan break them down. The watch question is whether Japan can find a way through a low block that has nothing left to lose.

Kubo out, and the question on the right

Japan's uncertainty has now settled into a fact: Takefusa Kubo is out. He hurt his left knee against the Netherlands, an MRI on June 15 confirmed the injury, and on June 19 his absence was made official — he will not travel with the squad and stays at the Nashville base for treatment (SOCCER KING). There is better news up front: striker Ayase Ueda, on a separate program the day before, has returned to full training (SOCCER KING). That leaves the right attacking channel as the match's biggest selection question. Junya Ito is the obvious like-for-like option; another route is to push Ritsu Doan into a front line and bring Yukinari Sugawara in at right wing-back. This preview names the question rather than the answer: who carries the right without Kubo, and how much of the opener's sharpness in that area Japan can keep.

An open-air night, after a trip from Nashville

The setting flips from the opener. Japan played the Netherlands inside a closed, air-conditioned dome in Dallas; here they are at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, a fully open-air stadium with no roof — among the hottest venues at this World Cup. Japan cross the border from their U.S. base in Nashville to play it, the trip Kubo stays behind from. The kickoff is a local night start, so the worst afternoon heat is avoided; warmth and humidity remain, and FIFA's mandatory three-minute cooling breaks midway through each half are in force (Yahoo Sports). Heat and travel framing this match is part of how Japan will manage it.

What a result does to the table

Group F after one round: Sweden lead on three points, Japan and the Netherlands share one each, Tunisia have none (Sky Sports). The Netherlands play Sweden eleven hours before Japan kick off, so the picture will already have moved by the time this match starts. A Japan win would put them on four points with their final group game against Sweden to come; a draw keeps them in the third-place mix rather than in control. The margin matters too — in the 48-team format the third-place ladder can turn on goal difference, so how convincingly Japan win, not only whether they win, will carry into the math.

For Japanese readers

Kickoff is 13:00 JST on Sunday, June 21 — a weekend afternoon at home. The match is on the Nippon TV network and NHK BS, with a DAZN stream (Goal); check your route on the match page. If you watch one stretch, watch the opening half hour: how high Itakura's line can hold against a side parking the bus, and who fills Kubo's place on the right. The first thirty minutes should start to answer both.