World Cup what to know: Netherlands, Sweden face off as group stage reaches halfway point

This summer's supersized World Cup is about to reach the halfway point of its 48-team group stage schedule.

By the end of Saturday, there will have been 36 games played with 36 more to go before the 32-team knockout stage begins June 28. A champion will be crowned on July 19.

The Netherlands — often described as the most talented soccer nation to never win a World Cup — faces a crucial game against Sweden in Group F. The Dutch fought to a 2-2 draw against Japan in their opener.

Germany and Ivory Coast square off for potential control of Group E after both squads won their first game. Also on Saturday, Curacao faces Ecuador while Tunisia takes on Japan.

— Netherlands vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. EDT in Houston (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Germany vs. Ivory Coast, 4 p.m. EDT in Toronto (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Ecuador vs. Curacao, 8 p.m. EDT in Kansas City, Missouri (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Tunisia vs. Japan, midnight EDT in Monterrey, Mexico (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

The three host countries for this World Cup are feeling good about themselves after two matches.

The U.S. earned its second straight win and a spot in the knockout round, beating Australia 2-0 on Friday. The Americans will win their group if Paraguay and Turkey draw or Paraguay wins late Friday night.

Canada is in excellent shape to qualify for the knockout round after a 6-0 win over Qatar on Thursday. Mexico has already wrapped up the Group A title thanks to its 1-0 win over South Korea.

The Netherlands — ranked No. 8 in the world — is under a considerable amount of pressure to beat Sweden on Saturday after it blew two leads in its draw against Japan.

Coach Ronald Koeman faced several pointed questions about strategy after the Japan game and shot back with cryptic replies.

Meanwhile, 34th-ranked Sweden put on a show in its 5-1 win over Tunisia, starting its World Cup with a flourish after not qualifying in 2022.

“It’s about how we perform and the mentality we have,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said Friday. “We know that we are a work in progress and we’re improving. We have to play better against a better opponent and I think we’re ready to do that.”

The Germans did what they were supposed to do in their opening game: Win decisively over Curaçao.

The 7-1 victory was a warmup for Saturday's game against Ivory Coast, which should be a much more formidable opponent. Ivory Coast scored a late goal against Ecuador for a 1-0 win in its opener.

Ivory Coast got some good news earlier this week when striker Elye Wahi, under investigation for alleged betting-related offenses, received authorization to enter Canada for the match.

“He hasn’t really shown any signs of being annoyed or being discouraged,” Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae said. “He’s happy. He had a good trip over here. He’s going to do everything he can to help out the team.”

Ecuador was unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches when it arrived at the World Cup, and it looked as if Sebastián Beccacece’s team was going to keep that streak going until Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute to deal La Tricolor an opening loss.

Now, with powerful Germany awaiting next week to conclude Group E play, Ecuador faces what could amount to a must-win match with Curaçao at Arrowhead Stadium if it wants to advance to the knockout stage.

“What follows,” Beccacece said, “must be faced with the same way we have faced it so far: with great strength, with great integrity, with great intensity and with a clear idea of the game.”

Meanwhile, Curaçao had been the plucky feel-good story of the World Cup as the smallest nation, both in size and population, to make the field. Then reality hit in the Blue Wave’s 7-1 loss to Germany.

Japan had high expectations coming into this World Cup and delivered a solid performance in its opener, rallying for a draw against the Netherlands.

Now the Japanese will try to keep that momentum against Tunisia, which lost to Sweden in its opener.

Tunisia fired coach Sabri Lamouchi after the 5-1 loss and appointed Hervé Renard. The Frenchman is an experienced coach who specializes in leading national teams across Africa and the Arabic-speaking world. He’s won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia and the Ivory Coast.

— Canada’s Ismaël Koné has surgery for 2 broken bones in leg from World Cup match against Qatar

— World Cup players with dual eligibility face a tough choice about which country to represent

— Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel seizes the World Cup spotlight with two shutouts in two matches

— Lamine Yamal says he’s not fully fit and is unlikely to start in Spain’s second World Cup game

— Boston, Scotland World Cup fans brought together in soccer kinship, celebration and love of beer

— Iran says it’s being treated unfairly. Its World Cup travel schedule isn’t unique

— World Cup ticket buyers are left stranded as resale purchases fall through

— Alex Freeman, 21-year-old son of NFL standout Antonio Freeman, scores for US in World Cup win

The United States is the first team to benefit from own goals by the opposing team in consecutive World Cup matches. It's also the first time since the initial World Cup in 1930 that the Americans have started 2-0.

AP Sports Writers Dave Skretta and Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

United States' Alex Freeman (16), second left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Australia in Seattle, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Koki Ogawa, left, celebrates with teammates their side's second goal against the Netherlands during a World Cup Group F soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Germany's Nico Schlotterbeck celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Curacao in Houston, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

Netherlands' Noa Lang, left and Brian Brobbey take a hydration break during practice for the World Cup soccer tournament, Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in Riverside, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sweden's Alexander Isak (9) celebrates with Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres (17) after he scored to put Sweden up, 3-1, during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sofia Yaker)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Scott Forbes had just wrapped up a College World Series news conference Friday when Skip Johnson walked into the room to pose with him for an annual picture of the head coaches next to the national championship trophy, a longtime tradition the day before the start of the finals.

“Hey, buddy,” North Carolina's Forbes said, beaming and extending his hand to the Oklahoma coach.

“You thought we were going to fight?” Johnson said, turning to reporters.

The college baseball lifers have known each other for decades, since they spent long days and nights scouting the same talent showcases and engaging in recruiting battles during long runs as assistants.

“I always thought if we met up together," Forbes told Johnson, “we'd be hunting.”

Oh, they're hunting together all right.

North Carolina will be looking for its first national title in baseball and Oklahoma for its third when the schools square off in Game 1 of the best-of-three series at Charles Schwab Field on Saturday. The start of the game was moved up five hours to 3 p.m. EDT because of a forecast calling for storms at night.

The Tar Heels and Sooners have taken different routes to reach the same destination.

North Carolina (53-12-1) has lost consecutive games just once, in early March, and has been ranked no lower than No. 4 by D1Baseball.com the last two months.

Oklahoma (41-22) was ranked as high as No. 8 and then lost six of nine series in Southeastern Conference play. The Sooners finished 11th in the SEC and were unranked when they entered the national tournament off losses in seven of nine games.

“I think the SEC just offers a great preparation, period, for this type of tournament,” OU's Trey Gambill said. “There’s no breaks. Just like in this tournament, you’re not playing any bad teams. You’re not playing any mediocre teams. You’re playing the best of the best. So the SEC just prepared us for always being ready to put our best out there.”

Both teams went 3-0 in CWS bracket play. The Tar Heels have won five straight, and the Sooners are on a season-best eight-game streak.

The Game 1 pitching matchup pits North Carolina ace Jason DeCaro (11-2) against 6-foot-6, 237-pound left-hander Cord Rager (6-3), one of three freshman starters for the Sooners. DeCaro went 6 2/3 innings and struck out nine in Carolina's 6-2 win over Mississippi last Friday. Rager walked none and struck out eight in seven innings of a 9-0 win over Alabama last Saturday.

Oklahoma will be going for the Southeastern Conference's seventh straight national title and 18th overall, which would tie the Pac-12 for most.

The SEC is assured of having the champion, runner-up or both for the 20th time since 2000. The Sooners are the 10th different SEC team to reach the finals over that span.

North Carolina is the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to make the CWS finals since Virginia in 2015.

The Tar Heels are trying to become the third ACC program to win a national title in baseball. Wake Forest won the first in 1955 and Virginia the second in 2015.

North Carolina (2006-07, 2026) and Virginia (2014-15) are the only ACC programs to play in the finals since the best-of-three format started in 2003.

DeCaro will face a Sooners team that's averaging 10.4 runs per game with 22 homers during their eight-game win streak. They've gone deep eight times in the CWS, including five in an 11-4 win over Georgia on Wednesday. OU has 45 homers in its 20 games since May 1 after hitting 46 homers in its first 43.

“What Jason’s going to do is what he’s been doing,” Forbes said. “We don’t care what the offense has been, what they’re doing, how hot they are. He’s going to go right after them with his stuff. You start being tentative, you start getting negative counts, then that offense gets even better.”

North Carolina is 28-0 when Caden Glauber pitches. The freshman leads the Tar Heels with 106 strikeouts and 13.76 per nine innings, and he has allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings over three CWS games.

Another freshman reliever, lefty Jackson Rose, pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief in a 12-7 win over West Virginia and has a 2.15 ERA over 50 2/3 innings this season.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

FILE - Field logo during an NCAA College World Series baseball game on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Cory Eads, File)