The World Cup's knockout stage is already providing some premier matchups in the round of 32.
It's part of a bracket that features an easier road for some teams than others.
There are three games on Monday, starting with Brazil vs. Japan in Houston. The Brazilians — who won Group C — are five-time World Cup champions but face a tough opponent in Japan, which is ranked No. 17 in the world. The Japanese finished second in Group F with one win and two draws.
Group E winner Germany faces Paraguay in the day's second game. Germany scored 10 goals in the group stage, which was tied for the most of any team. Paraguay bounced back from a 4-1 loss to the United States by beating Turkey and fighting to a draw with Australia to narrowly qualify for the knockout stage after finishing third in Group D.
The nightcap is a matchup of top-10 teams when the Netherlands faces Morocco. The Dutch are often considered the best country to never win a World Cup, while Morocco has jumped into soccer's elite over the past few years after a surprise run to the 2022 World Cup semifinals in Qatar.
What to watch on June 29
— Brazil vs. Japan, 1 p.m. EDT in Houston (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Germany vs. Paraguay, 4:30 p.m. EDT in Foxborough, Massachusetts (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Netherlands vs. Morocco, 9 p.m. EDT in Monterrey, Mexico (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
Brazil-Japan matchup features countries with close relationship
These countries have extremely strong ties with Brazil being home to about 2.7 million Japanese descendants, which is the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.
Those ties extend to soccer where Brazilian superstar Zico moved to Japan in 1991 to play for the Kashima Antlers and help build Japan’s professional soccer network. He managed the Japan national team from 2002-06, leading the team to the World Cup in 2006.
It was in that World Cup where these teams had their first and only meeting in the tournament with Brazil notching a 4-1 victory.
Brazil leads the overall series with 11 wins. The teams have played to two draws and Japan collected its first-ever win over Brazil in a friendly in Tokyo in October. Japan trailed 2-0 at halftime before rallying for the 3-2 victory.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu thinks that win will impact how Brazil approaches his team Monday.
“They will be so much more motivated to play against us,” he said. “They are intent on winning against us. Because of that we feel that the match will be very intense.”
The winner will face the winner of Ivory Coast-Norway on July 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Germany returns to knockout rounds for first time since 2014
Germany is back in the knockout round for the first time since the 2014 final in Brazil when the Germans beat Argentina 1-0 to capture their fourth World Cup title.
Leading those hopes will be coach Julian Naglesmann. At 38 years and 341 days old on Monday, he will be the youngest manager in the knockout round since France’s Henri Michel in the 1986.
Paraguay has appeared in five knockout stage games, but has failed to score in each. It advanced only once in those games, winning on penalty kicks against Japan in the round of 16 in 2010.
“They play very defensive football," Naglesmann said of Paraguay. "They are an uncomfortable opponent for us and it’s going to ask a lot of us.”
Paraguay is expected to be without defender Omar Alderete, who is doubtful with a knee injury he suffered in the second half of its 0-0 draw against Australia. Jose Canale is expected to start in his place.
“This will be a match all about details," Paraguay captain Gustavo Gómez said. "We need to be concentrated to compete to take advantage of all the opportunities we might have.”
The winner will face the winner of France and Sweden on July 4 in Philadelphia.
Netherlands vs. Morocco premier clash in round of 32
Monday night’s matchup between the Netherlands and Morocco will be the highest ranked match in the round of 32.
The Netherlands — ranked No. 7 — topped Group F after a draw against Japan and big wins over Sweden and Tunisia. Sixth-ranked Morocco fought to a 1-1 draw against Brazil in its opener before beating Scotland and Haiti to finish second in Group C.
The Netherlands have long held the moniker of the best never to have won the tournament, having lost all three finals it played. The Dutch’s most recent final loss was to Spain in extra time in 2010, which was also the last time the Netherlands lost a World Cup game in 120 minutes.
The Dutch haven’t lost in six previous World Cup matches against African countries.
In 2022, Morocco defeated Spain and Portugal to become the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup before losing to France. The Atlas Lions were also declared winners of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025.
“The team is of course very well prepared,” Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “We will face whatever comes in the 90 (minutes), 120 (minutes) or penalty kicks. We have great football players and the experience to face these things.”
The Netherlands beat Morocco 2-1 in 1994, which was the only other World Cup meeting between the two.
The winner will face Canada in the round of 16 on Saturday in Houston.