The Netherlands are top of Group F with seven points and will face Morocco in the round of 32 in Monterrey on Monday.
Published June 26, 2026
The Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1, avoiding a difficult match against Brazil in the last 32 and taking the lead in Group F of the World Cup.
Ronald Koeman’s side jumped out to a two-goal lead in a soggy Kansas City thanks to poor defense from an opponent who had finished the tournament scoreless.
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First, Elies Skilli sliced Denzel Dumfries’ cross into his own net, and minutes later Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey fired home from close range.
It seems that the contract with the Netherlands has now been decided, and from the middle of the first half, fans wearing orange clothes were enjoying the Mexican wave at Arrowhead Stadium.
Tunisia got one point back in the second half, but the Netherlands regained a two-goal lead with a header from Jan Paul van Hecke just after the hour mark.
The Netherlands finished the group stage with seven points, moving Japan to the top of Group F and will face Morocco in the second round in Monterrey on Monday.
Japan clinched second place with a 1-1 draw with Sweden in Arlington, Texas, but the Scandinavian side also advanced to one of the top eight teams to finish third.
Thursday’s game started on time despite thunderstorms threatening chaos in the American Midwest.
Tunisia came close early on with Ismael Gharbi’s shot from close range, but it was a false indicator of what was to come.
Instead, Schiri slotted the ball into his own net in the third minute to put the three-time finalists ahead.
Just four minutes later, Brobbei scored his third goal of the World Cup when Virgil van Dijk headed a cross from Tijani Lijnders’ free kick.
Tunisia were on the verge of another collapse, but they managed to reach halftime without conceding another goal.
The North African team got a goal back in the 54th minute when Hazem Mastouri headed in a corner kick from Hannibal Meibry.
However, those concerns were quickly put to rest a few minutes later when Van Hekke’s header from a Lijnders corner deflected and crashed into the goal.
Tunisia will return home with their tails hanging after an embarrassing season in which they scored 12 goals in three games.
Veteran French manager Hervé Renard was appointed last week after Sabri Lamouchi was sacked after the team suffered a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their first game in Mexico.
However, he was unable to stop the rot as Tunisia, who had won the qualifying round without conceding a goal, suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat against Japan before losing against the Netherlands.
