World Cup 2026: Who will Brazil face in Round of 32? Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden?

World Cup 2026: Who will Brazil face in Round of 32? Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden?

4 min readJun 25, 2026 06:49 PM IST

FIFA World Cup 2026, Brazil Round of 32 Schedule & opponent: Vinicius Jr. continued his stellar form, keeping his name in the scoresheet for the third straight game as Brazil defeated Scotland 3-0 in their final game of the group stages on Thursday to qualify for the Round of 32 as the leaders of Group C.

Following a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their campaign opener against Morocco, the Selecao were quick to get back on their feet, registering two big wins, making their way into the knockouts.

RankTeamMPWDLGFGAGDPts
1Brazil32107167
2Morocco32106337
3Scotland310214-33
4Haiti300328-60

The previous edition’s semifinalist, Morocco, finished second to advance to the next round as well. The African nation will be up against Group F winners.

ALSO READ | World Cup 2026: Who will Argentina face in Round of 32?

FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 Bracket

Match NoDateTime (IST)Round of 32 MatchVenue
73Jun 2912:30 AMR-32: South Africa vs CanadaLos Angeles
74June 2910:30 PMR-32: Brazil vs Group F runners-upHouston
75June 302:00 AMR-32: Germany vs Best Third-Placed TeamFoxborough
76June 306:30 AMR-32: Group F winners vs MoroccoGuadalajara
77June 3010.30 PMR-32: Group E runners-up vs Group I runners-upArlington
78July 12:30 AMR-32: Group I winners vs Best Third-Placed TeamNew Jersey
79July 16:30 AMR-32: Mexico vs Best Third-Placed TeamMexico City
80July 19:30 PMR-32: Group L winners vs Best Third-Placed TeamAtlanta
81July 21.30 AMR-32: Group G winners vs Best Third-Placed TeamSeattle
82July 21.30 AMR-32: United States vs Best Third-Placed TeamSanta Clara
83July 25:30 AMR-32: Group H winners vs Group J runners-upLos Angeles
84July 312:30 AMR-32: Group K runners-up vs Group L runners-upToronto
85July 34:30 AMR-32: Switzerland vs Best Third-Placed TeamVancouver
86July 38:30 AMR-32: Group D runners-up vs Group G runners-upArlington
87July 311.30 PMR-32: Argentina vs Group H runners-upMiami
88July 43:30 AMR-32: Group K winners vs Best Third-Placed TeamKansas City

FIFA World Cup 2026: Who are Brazil’s likely Round of 32 opponents?

As the winner of Group C, Brazil will play their Round of 32 game at the Houston Stadium on 29 July (12:30 AM IST). The five-time World Cup winners are slated to face the runner-up of Group F in their first knockout game.

RankTeamMPWDLGFGAGDPts
1Netherlands21107344
2Japan21106244
3Sweden21016603
4Tunisia200219-80

Currently, the Netherlands and Japan are tied at the top of Group F with 4 points each, while Sweden are close behind with 3 points. Tunisia are at the bottom with 0 points and are already eliminated. So, Brazil’s potential Round of 32 opponents from Group F could be any of the Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden, all depending on the final results.

Group F third round fixtures:

Tunisia vs Netherlands (26 June at 4:30 AM)

Japan vs Sweden (26 June at 4:30 AM)

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Here’s how things could play out in the final round:

If Netherlands beat Tunisia: In this scenario, the Dutch will finish on top, leaving Japan and Sweden to battle for second place. A win for Japan against Sweden would see them finish as runners-up, while a draw would also be enough for Japan to stay ahead of Sweden. But if Sweden beat Japan, they would leapfrog into second.

If Netherlands drop points (loss/draw) against Tunisia: This would open the door for Japan or Sweden to take top spot in Group F. In that case, the Netherlands could slip to second, depending on the result of Japan vs Sweden. If Japan win, they top the group and the Netherlands finish second. If Sweden vs Japan win and Netherlands draw vs Tunisia, Sweden could top the group, pushing the Dutch to second.

The most likely scenario could be Netherlands winning their last league game, topping the group and Japan edging out Sweden for second place, which would set up a Brazil vs Japan clash in the knockout rounds. But taking Sweden for granted would be a grave mistake here.

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