Best World Cup R32 ties: Brazil-Japan promise goals, Portugal face KO specialists

FIFA World Cup 2026, Round of 32: Here's a quick look at five matches from those 16 that you can ill-afford to miss.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil versus Japan headlines the Round of 32 as will Portugal's meeting with Croatia. (AP Photo)

4 min readJun 28, 2026 11:28 AM IST First published on: Jun 28, 2026 at 11:22 AM IST

With seven goals apiece, averaging 2.33 per game, Brazil and Japan boast two of the most prolific attacks at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. From a purely statistical standpoint, there is little to separate them.

Choosing the more potent attack, hence, would have been a matter of opinion if they were not to meet in a round of 32 fixture on Monday. Brazil versus Japan headlines the first wave of knockout fixtures as the bracket for the last 32 is finally set following a captivating group stage.

Here’s a quick look at five matches from those 16 that you can ill-afford to miss:

Brazil vs Japan

Only five teams have scored more goals in the group stage than Brazil and Japan, which highlights the potency in their respective attacks. Though, there is a characteristic difference: seven of Brazil’s eight goals have come from the pair of Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha. Japan, on the contrary, believe in the philosophy of decentralisation, having found five scorers so far. On paper, this game has all the makings of a high-scoring contest.

ALSO READ | Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Haaland: A golden boot race unlike any other

Netherlands vs Morocco

There are several indicators that suggest this could be the most evenly balanced tie of the knockout stage. The Netherlands and Morocco have squared off thrice, with every encounter decided by a solitary goal. Moreover, they are placed adjacent to one another on the FIFA rankings — the African nation being in sixth place, with the Dutch breathing down their necks.

Portugal vs Croatia

Cristiano Ronaldo and his team might be wondering how they got to this place. A flawless group stage would have earned them a considerably kinder route through the knockout bracket, beginning with Ghana before a potential meeting with either Switzerland or Algeria. They were anything but flawless. What we have got instead is a delectable tie against Croatia, who finished fourth in 2022, and second in the edition before that. The highlight of this game will be the clash of two enduring icons in their forties — Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Watch out for the ‘friends turned foes’ subplot.

ALSO READ | Ronaldo’s fading powers leave Portugal in danger at World Cup 2026

Spain vs Austria

Austria would not have been at this stage, if not for a dramatic 96th minute goal from Sasa Kalajdzic. Now, in their first World Cup knockout appearance since 1954, they face arguably the toughest assignment available — reigning European champions Spain. Cape Verde, however, have shown that Lamine Yamal’s team can be stopped in their tracks, if only one remains resolute. Austria must be so, for the entire 90 minutes, and a further 30 if need be.

Argentina vs Cape Verde

No fixture encapsulates the romance of the World Cup better. There are 63 places between the first-ranked Argentina and the 64th-ranked Cape Verde. The question, hence, is — why have we selected this in the top five? Purely because the World Cup is as much about the underdogs as it is about the winners. Against the world champions, who are being led by the indomitable figure of Lionel Messi — currently leading the Golden Boot race with six goals — a tiny archipelago of 10 islands. The population of Rosario — the city where Messi was born — is more than thrice of Cape Verde’s. That, the Blue Sharks are here, is a miracle. If only they beat the three-time champions, it would be the mother of all miracles.

Full Schedule

29 June (Monday):

12:30 AM — South Africa vs Canada
10:30 PM — Brazil vs Japan

30 June (Tuesday):

2 AM — Germany vs Paraguay
6:30 AM — Netherlands vs Morocco
10:30 PM — Ivory Coast vs Norway

1 July (Wednesday):

2:30 AM — France vs Sweden
6:30 AM — Mexico vs Ecuador
9:30 PM — England vs DR Congo

2 July (Thursday):

1:30 AM — Belgium vs Senegal
5:30 AM — USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

3 July (Friday):

12:30 AM — Spain vs Austria
4:30 AM — Portugal vs Croatia
8:30 AM — Switzerland vs Algeria
11:30 PM — Australia vs Egypt

4 July (Saturday):

3:30 AM — Argentina vs Cape Verde
7 AM — Colombia vs Ghana