Tournament Favorites Kick Off The Knockout Rounds In Monday’s World Cup Matches
The round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup gets underway on Monday as tournament favorites begin their march through the knockout bracket in pursuit of the trophy.
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With the group stages finishing Saturday night and the brackets finalized, any loss from here on out means elimination. Three of the front-runners of this year’s tournament — Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands — begin their knockout-round run Monday.
Brazil takes on Japan in the opening game of Monday’s action. The two teams have been some of the highest-scoring in the tournament so far. Brazil won Group C with seven points and a six-goal differential after going 2-1-0 in its three games. Japan had one of the more exciting opening games, taking the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw. This was one of two draws for Japan, as they went 1-2-0 in the group stages.
Vinícius Júnior and Neymar are looking to bring the trophy back to their home country for the first time since 2002. Brazil, which many see as one of the five best teams, will have its hands full if it wins. A potential matchup against Erling Haaland and Norway awaits.
Germany will look to bounce back from its loss against Ecuador when it plays Paraguay in the most-lopsided affair of the day for a champion-hopeful. Germany has scored ten goals in the first three games, including seven in the opener against Curaçao. Paraguay advanced by placing third in the United States’ Group D.
Monday’s final match is between the Netherlands and Morocco. The Dutch are tied with Germany and France for the most goals scored in the group stages, with eight of them coming from their last two games. Morocco placed second in Group C despite finishing with the same record as Brazil, proving they are a dangerous opponent.
Canada beat South Africa thanks to late-game heroics from Stephen Eustáquio, who scored the only goal of the game in the second minute of injury time in the second half to give Canada their second-ever win in World Cup history.
Norway and France headline Tuesday’s games as the 2026 World Cup truly begins to heat up.
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