Brazil and Japan will battle for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 when they meet in one of the standout Round of 32 ties on Monday.
Brazil recovered brilliantly after opening their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, responding with consecutive 3-0 victories over Haiti and Scotland to finish top of Group C.
Inspired by Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha, Carlo Ancelotti’s side edged 2022 semi-finalists Morocco to first place on goal difference and now turn their attention to the knockout stages.
Japan, meanwhile, booked their place after finishing second in Group F. A hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sweden in their final group match proved enough, with goalkeeper Zion Suzuki producing a string of crucial saves to secure qualification.
The Samurai Blue will also be aiming to make history. Despite regularly qualifying for the World Cup since 1998, Japan have never won a men’s World Cup knockout match, suffering Round of 16 exits in 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022.
Team News
Brazil strode past Scotland without the services of Barcelona winger Raphinha, who picked up a new hamstring injury against Haiti on matchday two and is yet to resume team training.
On Japan’s end, centre-back Ko Itakura was an early withdrawal against Sweden as he came off in the 39th minute due to an apparent injury, albeit one that is not believed to be serious.
Possible Lineups
Brazil possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Santos; Guimaraes, Casemiro; Rayan, Paqueta, Vinicius Jr; Cunha
Japan possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Ito, Tomiyasu, Itakura; Doan, Sano, Tanaka, Nakamura; Kamada, Maeda; Ueda
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | DSTV stream |
| Kick-off Time | 18:00 (WAT) |
Match Predictions
Softfootball predicts Brazil 2-1 Japan
