The World Cup has finally arrived in North Texas.
Follow along for live updates from The Dallas Morning News’ coverage team in Arlington.
Where: Dallas Stadium, Arlington
TV/streaming: FOX Sports, Telemundo; streaming live on Peacock
Best finish: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Base camp city: Nashville, Tenn.
Overview: Japan will enter the 2026 World Cup without maybe its best offensive player, as Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma was held off the final squad as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered in May.
The 28-year-old was an impact player four years ago and had an improbable assist (keeping the ball in bounds at the endline by millimeters) against Spain to help propel Japan to the top of its group.
Players to watch: Japan will have to rely on its other professional talent to advance in 2026, including Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada.
World Cup appearances: 12
Best finish: Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
Base camp city: Kansas City, Mo.
Overview: The creators of so-called “total football” in the 1970s, the Netherlands has always been easy on the eye, but it has never been enough to get it over the line at a World Cup.
Coach Ronald Koeman — in his second spell in charge of the national team — is hoping to end his country’s wait. He won major honors with the Netherlands as a player when lifting the European Championship in 1988 and he was a runner-up in the Nations League in 2019 in his last spell in charge.
Players to watch: The Netherlands can call on Premier League stars like Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo, but perhaps lacks some of the top-tier talent of previous generations.