The Round of 32 continues on Monday as five-time champions Brazil continues its World Cup 2026 campaign with a match against Japan.
The Selecao finished top of Group C, defeating Haiti and Scotland after starting with a draw against Morocco. Although not entirely convincing in terms of performances, Carlo Ancelotti’s team has shown signs of real quality, not least in an attack led by the in-form Vinicius Junior.
Japan came through a difficult Group F, finishing in second place behind the Netherlands. The Samurai Blue drew with the Dutch and Sweden either side of thrashing Tunisia and now has sights set on a place in the Round of 16.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side beat Brazil in a friendly match last November, so Ancelotti and his players will know not to underestimate them.
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Brazil vs. Japan score
Location: Houston
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Brazil (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Alisson — 13. Danilo, 4. Marquinhos, 3. Gabriel, 16. D. Santos — 8. B. Guimaraes, 5. Casemiro, 20. L. Paqueta — 26. Rayan, 9. M. Cunha, 7. Vinicius Jr.
Japan (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Z. Suzuki (GK) — 3. S. Taniguchi, 22. T. Tomiyasu, 21. H. Ito — 10. R. Doan 15. D. Kamada, 24. K. Sano, 14. J. Ito, 13. K. Nakamura — 18. A. Ueda, 11. D. Maeda
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Brazil vs. Japan live updates, highlights from 2026 World Cup knockouts
(All times ET)
Halftime
Japan lead and deservedly so. Brazil were the brighter team early on but have been second best since. Kano’s goal could be a real World Cup moment if it proves to be the decider. Plenty of work for Carlo Ancelotti to do.
45. Kamada chops down Guimaraes
Japan on the front foot as half-time approaches. They look so much sharper on and off the ball. Brazil look to break and Kamada shows he and his team are not afraid of the dirty work. The Newcastle midfielder is hacked now and Kamada very much earns his booking.
35. Guess who?
Brazil looking to respond. They already feel a little frantic. Paqueta gets a shot off but there’s Sano to make the block. He’s everywhere at the moment.
29. GOAL!!!!! Sano fires Japan into the lead!
He’s still on the pitch, and how! Danilo with a careless pass into midfield and Sano siezes possession and drives at the Brazil defence. There’s no midfield cover to speak of, this has been flagged as a potential issue for Brazil, and the Mainz player fires into the bottom right corner. What a way and what a time to score your first international goal.
23. Sano avods red card!
Ooohh, a moment of controversy just before the hydration break. Kaishu Sano is already on a booking. He slides into a challenge on Cunha, realises he’s about to foul him and pulls out. However, his momentum still cleans out the Manchester United player on the left-hand edge of the penalty area. Referee Mariani signals for a goal kick. If he’d given a foul there would have been a decision to make.
17. Brazil stand firm under set-piece pressure
Kamada scuffs his free-kick into the bottom of the Brazil wall. Poor old Paqueta was there as the draft excluder. Ito clips a dangerous corner into the near post, where Casemiro clears
15. Casemiro into the book
Brazil’s combative midfield workhorse scythes through the back of Ito and the Japan midfielder dribbles towards the area. That’s a yellow card and Japan free-kick in a dangerous position.
10. Paqueta’s painful start continues
Paqueta seems to have run off his hamstring pain. That’s the good news. However, teammate Bruno Guimareas has just smashed a shot towards goal that hit the former West Ham man right in the face. Brazil easily looking like the most dangerous team early on. And not just to one another.
2. Early worry for Paqueta
Oh dear. Lucas Paqueta has gone down and is feeling his hamstring. He’ll try to contnue for now. Bruno Guimareas wins a corner that Japan clear easily.
Kickoff
Brazil get us underway, Japan in their change strip of white shirts and black shorts. Brazil in the famous canary yellow with blue shorts.
Prematch
11:50 a.m – Here come the teams. It’s anthems time. It’s some atmosphere in Houston, where we’re ready for liftoff.
11 a.m. – Let’s have a look at today’s line-ups. For the first time during his Brazil tenure, Carlo Ancelotti has named an unchanged XI. That means Neymar has to be content with a place on the bench once more. Raphinha has not recovered from his injury sufficiently to be involved in the matchday squad.
BRASIL DEFINIDO! 🇧🇷
Confira os 11 nomes escalados pelo Mister para enfrentar o Japão nesta segunda-feira (29), às 14h (Brasília), pela segunda fase da Copa do Mundo FIFA 2026.
📺 TV Globo / GE TV / SPORTV / Cazé TV / SBT / NSports
🏟️ Estádio de Houston#BateNoPeito
ISSO É… pic.twitter.com/xgek5ORDKK
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) June 29, 2026
For Japan, there’s still no Takefusa Kubo. Junya Ito, who scored against Tunisia, comes back into the lineup. Experienced former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is into the back three. It also looks like Hajime Moriyasu might tweak his formation slightly to 3-5-2
10 a.m. – The last time these two sides met in an October 2025 friendly, Japan claimed a famous victory, winning 3-2 from 2-0 down. It was not a full-strength Brazil in Tokyo, but Casemiro, Bruno Gimaraes, Lucas Paqueta and Vinicius Jr. all started and are expected to do so today.
9 a.m. – It’s day two of the 2026 World Cup knockouts. First up on Monday, it’s five-time champions Brazil taking on Japan in Houston. These teams met last year in an entertaining friendly in which Japan came from two goals down to win 3-2. We couldn’t see a repeat, could we?
CHEGAMOS EM HOUSTON! 🇧🇷💛
Em cada lugar que passamos, recebemos o carinho da nossa nação.
Houston já fez a Seleção se sentir em casa. Vamos juntos! 💚💚💚#BateNoPeito pic.twitter.com/MbZbO6vemz
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) June 28, 2026
Where to watch Brazil vs. Japan in World Cup
Brazil vs. Japan start time
- Date: Monday, June 29
- Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
The match kicks off at at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, June 29. It is the first of three Round of 32 matches today.
What channel is Brazil vs. Japan on today?
This match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.
The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up for a FREE trial.
| Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | 13:00 ET | Fox, Telemundo | fubo, Peacock |
| Canada | 13:00 ET | TSN 1, TSN 3, TSN 4, RDS (French) | TSN site/app, RDS app |
| UK | 18:00 BST | ITV1, STV Scotland | ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | 03:00 AEST* | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | 22:30 IST | Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 2 | ZEE5 |
*Following day
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World Cup 2026 knockouts schedule
Round of 32
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sun, Jun. 28 | 3 p.m. | M1: South Africa 0, Canada 1 | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 1 p.m. | M4: Brazil vs. Japan | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 4:30 p.m. | M2: Germany vs. Paraguay | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 9 p.m. | M3: Netherlands vs. Morocco | Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 1 p.m. | M6: Ivory Coast vs. Norway | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 5 p.m. | M5: France vs. Sweden | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 9 p.m. | M7: Mexico vs. Ecuador | Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 12 p.m. | M8: England vs. DR Congo | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 4 p.m. | M10: Belgium vs. Senegal | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 8 p.m. | M9: United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 3 p.m. | M12: Spain vs. Austria | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 7 p.m. | M11: Portugal vs. Croatia | BMO Field (Toronto, CAN) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 11 p.m. | M13: Switzerland vs. Algeria | BC Place (Vancouver, CAN) |
| Fr, Jul. 3 | 2 p.m. | M16: Australia vs. Egypt | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Fri, Jul. 3 | 6 p.m. | M14: Argentina vs. Cape Verde | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
| Fri, Jul. 3 | 9:30 p.m. | M15: Colombia vs. Ghana | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) |
Round of 16
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Jul. 4 | 1 p.m. | M2: Canada vs. Winner, R32 M3 | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| Sat, Jul. 4 | 5 p.m. | M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5 | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA) |
| Sun, Jul. 5 | 4 p.m. | M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6 | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Sun, Jul. 5 | 8 p.m. | M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8 | Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX) |
| Mon, Jul. 6 | 3 p.m. | M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Mon, Jul. 6 | 8 p.m. | M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10 | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) |
| Tue, Jul. 7 | 12 p.m. | M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
| Tue, Jul. 7 | 4 p.m. | M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15 | BC Place (Vancouver, CAN) |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Jul. 9 | 4 p.m. | QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2 | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA) |
| Fri, Jul. 10 | 3 p.m. | QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6 | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Sat, Jul. 11 | 5 p.m. | QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
| Sat, Jul. 11 | 9 p.m. | QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8 | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) |
Semifinals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Tue, Jul. 14 | 3 p.m. | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Wed, Jul. 15 | 3 p.m. | SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
Third-place match
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Jul. 18 | 5 p.m. | Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
Final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sun, Jul. 19 | 3 p.m. | Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |