Brazil, Germany and Netherlands Headline Must-Watch Round of 32 Showdowns

Monday brings a packed schedule of knockout-round action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands all aiming to move a step closer to the final.

The action begins in Houston, where five-time world champion Brazil meets a Japan side that impressed during the group stage and also defeated the Seleção when the teams met in October.

Germany enters the day’s second match in Boston as a clear favorite against Paraguay, though Die Mannschaft could face a difficult test against a disciplined South American team that has kept clean sheets in its last two outings.

The final fixture of the day delivers an unusually high-profile round-of-32 clash in Monterrey, as two top-10 teams in the FIFA World Rankings meet: the Netherlands and Morocco, the African power that reached the 2022 semifinals and has continued to build on that momentum.

Here’s what to know ahead of Monday, June 29, at the World Cup.

Brazil and Japan meet Monday at Houston Stadium in a round-of-32 matchup between two teams that came through the group stage without a defeat.

Brazil topped Group C with seven points, beating Haiti and Scotland after opening with a draw against Morocco. Carlo Ancelotti’s side finished first only on goal differential, edging out Morocco for the group lead.

Still, questions remain about whether Brazil is playing at the level required for a long tournament run. Ancelotti even apologized after the Morocco draw, acknowledging his team should have performed better. The victory over Haiti lacked real authority, and Brazil’s win against Scotland was aided by costly Scottish errors.

The best news for Brazil is that Vinícius Junior has lived up to the high expectations that were on him leading into the tournament. The Real Madrid attacker became the fifth Brazilian player to score in all three group stage games.  

Brazil also saw Neymar, 34, make a 15-minute appearance off the bench against Scotland to end a 981-day absence from the team. Neymar is available for the knockouts, but it remains to be seen how much Ancelotti will rely on him.

Japan finished second in Group F behind the Netherlands but ahead of Sweden and Tunisia. It was not perfect, but Hajime Moriyasu’s team impressed for long stretches in each game. In the 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, Japan was able to fight for two equalizers, including one in the 88th minute from Daichi Kamada. After a blowout win over Tunisia, Japan fought for a 1-1 draw with Sweden. 

The toughest challenge for Japan at this World Cup has been injuries. Before the tournament, multiple starters, including Wataru Endo, were not available for selection due to injuries sustained in the spring. At this tournament, midfielder Takefusa Kubo suffered a knee injury and is questionable to return. 

The history between the two teams greatly favors Brazil, which has won six of its seven all-time meetings with Japan with a score differential of 21-5.

Recent history, however, favors Japan with the team’s only win over Brazil coming in the last match between the two in October 2025. In that game at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium, Brazil had a 2-0 lead at halftime, but Japan made a ferocious comeback that featured two assists from Junya Ito and a winning goal from Ayase Ueda.

Brazil is favored in this game as it is one of the most historically powerful national teams with a record five World Cup trophies in its collection. Meanwhile, Japan has never won a knockout game in the tournament. But this game could be closer than people expect, given the way Japan has been playing in recent years and the confidence the team has in the group stages. 

Player To Watch

The Real Madrid attacker lived up to the lofty expectations placed on him as Brazil’s best offensive player at a World Cup. He is key to Brazil’s hopes of making a deep run and in the group stages, he was electric. When Brazil was trailing Morocco, Vinícius showed up and delivered an equalizer that was one of the best goals in the tournament’s group stage. 

Against Japan, a lot is riding on his shoulders. If Vinícius plays well, Japan will likely have a tough day. If the 25-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro does not, Japan might be able to pull off the upset. 

After failing to get out of group play in 2022 and 2018, Germany returns to the knockout stages with the hopes of making a long run in pursuit of its fifth World Cup trophy. Standing in its way will be a Paraguay team that rebounded from an ugly opening loss to the United States to fight its way to a win over Türkiye and a draw with Australia. 

The teams will meet at Boston Stadium in Monday’s second game of the day.

Germany has not been among the world’s elite teams since winning the World Cup in 2014. The team was grouped in the last two World Cups and its last two European Championships have also been unsuccessful with a round of 16 loss in 2021 and a quarterfinal loss in 2024. 

The signs for this German team are mixed. Die Mannschaft carried an impressive 11-match winning streak into its final group stage game against Ecuador but suffered a surprising 2-1 loss, albeit with a heavily rotated squad. 

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann has his team playing with a smooth and attacking style, driven by midfielders Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, with Kai Havertz serving as the primary attacking focal point.

Meanwhile, there has been nothing pretty about Paraguay’s road to this point. Its two results, a 1-0 win over Türkiye and the 0-0 draw with Australia, have been hard-fought grinds. Against Türkiye, Paraguay scored with a surprising early goal from Matias Galarza but Miguel Almiron was sent off in the first half. La Albirroja was only able to win after sitting deep and defending with 10 men. 

In these last two games, Gustavo Alfaro’s team has been outshot 44-14 but has not conceded a goal due to a combination of outstanding defense and luck. Against Germany, Paraguay will once again sit in a low block and look for occasional counterattacks for set-piece opportunities. Paraguay would be very satisfied to see the game go to penalties. 

Player To Watch

Germany’s tall center forward is the key to unlocking Paraguay’s low block, as he can score in the air and in tight spaces. The Arsenal attacker was not particularly effective in the recent games against the Ivory Coast and Ecuador, although he scored two goals against Curaçao, who was also sitting deep. Look for Germany to try to get Havertz involved early and often. If Germany can muster a quick goal, Paraguay will have to come out of its shell — which is not something it wants to do. 

In one of the most anticipated matchups in the round of 32, Morocco and the Netherlands square off at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on Monday night. 

For the Netherlands, it impressively won its Group F with seven points from wins over Sweden and Tunisia along with a draw. But it turns out to not be much of a prize, as the Dutch were rewarded with a challenging matchup against a Morocco team that made the semifinals in 2022 and now enters this game ranked seventh in the FIFA World Rankings, one ahead of the Netherlands. 

Ronald Koeman’s team has a strong attack that is led by winger Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey, who each have two goals in the tournament. The Dutch have also been very strong on set pieces, with their immensely talented central defense tandem of Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke each scoring a goal. 

If Morocco is going to pull off the win, it will need to defend well against set pieces in one-on-one positions from out wide. 

On the attack, the Atlas Lions will continue to rely heavily on forward Ismael Saibari, who scored in each of the three group stage games, and Real Madrid winger Brahim Díaz, who also notched two assists in the opening three games.

In an expanded World Cup with a new round of 32, it is surprising to see two teams this strong in the first knockout game. The Netherlands are unbeaten in 15 World Cup matches, when not including penalties. Morocco is unbeaten in 31 matches overall. Both teams have realistic expectations of being in the Final in three weeks. 

Player To Watch

The Sunderland center forward does not boast the resume of a center forward for a World Cup contender. But Brobbey is a great fit for this Netherlands team. He scored three goals in the group stages and has displayed a lot of great chemistry with his team’s wingers and midfielders. If he is on, he is going to have chances against Morocco, and he is one of his team’s big keys to advancing to the round of 16.

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