Brazil will square off against Japan in a Round of 32 clash of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday.
With two wins and a draw from their three group-stage matches, the Seleção finished top of Group C and comfortably secured their place in the knockout rounds.
Brazil made a slow start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, being held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their opening Group C match. However, the five-time world champions quickly found their rhythm, registering back-to-back 3-0 victories over Haiti and Scotland.
Japan began their World Cup campaign with a pulsating 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. The highest-ranked Asian nation at the tournament showed tremendous resilience, coming from behind twice to earn a well-deserved point against the Dutch. The Samurai Blue then produced a commanding display to thrash Tunisia 4-0 before rounding off their group-stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sweden. The result was enough to secure a second-place finish in Group F and a spot in the Round of 32.
This marks Japan's eighth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals and the third straight edition in which they have progressed to the knockout stages, underlining their growing consistency on football's biggest stage.
Match Time, Venue
The Round of 32 match between Japan and Brazil will begin at 10:30 p.m. on Monday. It will be played at the NRG Stadium in Huston Texas, USA.
Head to Head
- Matches played: 14
- Brazil wins: 11
- Japan wins: 1
- Draws: 2
Form Guide (last five matches, most recent match first)
- Brazil: W-W-D-W-W
- Japan: D-W-D-W-W
Brazil
- Possible Starting 11 (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Danilo; Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes; Vinicus Jr., Matheus Cunha, Rayan
- Substitutes: Ederson, Weverton, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Ibanez, Leo Pereira, Wesley, Fabinho, Lucas Paqueta, Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, Igor Thiago, Luiz Henrique, Neymar Jr, Raphinha, Rayan.
- Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
Japan
- Possible Starting 11: (3-4-2-1): Zion Suzuki; Hiroki Ito, Kou Itakura, Ayumu Seko; Keito Nakamura, Daichi Kamada, Ao Tanaka, Yukinari Sugawara; Daizen Maeda, Ritsu Doan; Ayase Ueda
- Substitutes: Tomoki Hayakawa, Keisuke Osako, Yuto Nagatomo, Yukinari Sugawara, Junnosuke Suzuki, Shogo Taniguchi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Junya Ito, Takefusa Kubo, Keito Nakamura, Kaishu Sano, Yuito Suzuki, Kento Shiogai, Koki Ogawa, Keisuke Goto
- Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Players to Watch
- Vinicius Junior (Brazil): Vinicius Junior is Brazil's top-goal scorer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The forward has netted four goals and has scored at least once in each of the three group-stage games. With Brazil looking to go deep into the tournament, Carlo Ancelotti will hope that Vinicus keeps finding the back of the net regularly.
- Ayase Ueda (Japan): Ayase Ueda was in great form during the club season where he netted 26 goals and provided two assists for Dutch giants Feyenoord. The 27-year-old has carried that prolific form in the World Cup where he has scored twice and assisted once. He will be the key for Japan if they aim to upstage the five-time champions.
How To Watch Live Telecast?
The Japan vs Brazil FIFA World Cup 2026 match will be televised live in India on Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD television channels.
ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Endrick-Ancelotti Memes Explode On Internet. Here's why
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The Japan vs Brazil FIFA World Cup 2026 game will be streamed live on the ZEE5 app and website in English, Malayalam, Bangla and Hindi.
ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Fixtures: Full Schedule, Dates, Kick-Off Times And Format Explained
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