+ Tunisia
World ranking: 44th.
Road to the World Cup: Took 28 out of 30 possible points and won the qualifying group by a landslide - with a goal difference of 22–0. The numbers are impressive, but it should be noted that the Tunisians did not have particularly competitive opposition. Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe played in the same group.
Stardom: Not in abundance. 32-year-old Nice defender Ali Abdi has been named Tunisia's best footballer for two years in a row. Last winter, he was one of three players to miss a penalty when Tunisia was eliminated by Mali in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.
World Cup merits: Debuted in 1978. Will now play in the World Cup for the seventh time – and the third time in a row. Has never advanced from the group stage.
Last Sweden meeting: Tunisia's 1–0 victory in a friendly in Radès in February 2003.
Meets Sweden: In Monterrey on Monday, June 15, at 4:00 a.m. (Swedish time).
+ Netherlands
World ranking: Sixth.
Road to the World Cup: Won their qualifying group after going undefeated through eight matches. Unlike Sweden, they failed to defeat Poland, who drew 1-1 in both matches. They dropped no further points in the group, which also included Finland, Malta and Lithuania.
Stardom: 34-year-old centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk headed one of the goals as the Netherlands beat Norway 2-1 on Friday. He is joined in a star-studded squad by Liverpool colleagues Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo. Memphis Depay, the Netherlands' all-time leading goalscorer, was absent through injury.
World Cup merits: Historically the only country to have played in three World Cup finals and lost all of them. In 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Netherlands won silver.
Last Sweden meeting: 2–0 win over Sweden in the European Championship qualifiers in Amsterdam in October 2017.
Meets Sweden: In Houston on Saturday, June 20, at 19.00 (Swedish time).
+ Japan
World ranking: 18th.
The road to the World Cup: Became the first team to qualify for the World Cup. Japan secured their place in March last year, even though the team had three qualifying matches left to play. Despite dropping a couple of points in the remaining matches, Japan won the group four points ahead of Australia, who also qualified as group runner-up.
The star: Attacking midfielder Kaoru Mitoma has twice been named Japan's Player of the Year and scored 10 Premier League goals for Brighton last season. The 28-year-old has not been as fortunate this season, which has been hampered by two foot injuries. He scored the only goal of the game as Japan beat England during this international break.
World Cup merits: Had to wait until 1998 for their debut. Since then Japan has not missed a World Cup and has reached the round of 16 on four occasions.
Last meeting with Sweden: 1–1 in Tokyo during the World Cup warm-up in May 2002.
Meets Sweden: In Dallas on Friday, June 26, at 1:00 a.m. (Swedish time).
