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

4 min readJun 25, 2026 06:49 PM IST

Brazil qualified for Round of 32 after beating Scotland 3-0. (AP)

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.

Rank

Team

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

Pts

1

Brazil

3

2

1

0

7

1

6

7

2

Morocco

3

2

1

0

6

3

3

7

3

Scotland

3

1

0

2

1

4

-3

3

4

Haiti

3

0

0

3

2

8

-6

0

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 No

Date

Time (IST)

Round of 32 Match

Venue

73

Jun 29

12:30 AM

R-32: South Africa vs Canada

Los Angeles

74

June 29

10:30 PM

R-32: Brazil vs Group F runners-up

Houston

75

June 30

2:00 AM

R-32: Germany vs Best Third-Placed Team

Foxborough

76

June 30

6:30 AM

R-32: Group F winners vs Morocco

Guadalajara

77

June 30

10.30 PM

R-32: Group E runners-up vs Group I runners-up

Arlington

78

July 1

2:30 AM

R-32: Group I winners vs Best Third-Placed Team

New Jersey

79

July 1

6:30 AM

R-32: Mexico vs Best Third-Placed Team

Mexico City

80

July 1

9:30 PM

R-32: Group L winners vs Best Third-Placed Team

Atlanta

81

July 2

1.30 AM

R-32: Group G winners vs Best Third-Placed Team

Seattle

82

July 2

1.30 AM

R-32: United States vs Best Third-Placed Team

Santa Clara

83

July 2

5:30 AM

R-32: Group H winners vs Group J runners-up

Los Angeles

84

July 3

12:30 AM

R-32: Group K runners-up vs Group L runners-up

Toronto

85

July 3

4:30 AM

R-32: Switzerland vs Best Third-Placed Team

Vancouver

86

July 3

8:30 AM

R-32: Group D runners-up vs Group G runners-up

Arlington

87

July 3

11.30 PM

R-32: Argentina vs Group H runners-up

Miami

88

July 4

3:30 AM

R-32: Group K winners vs Best Third-Placed Team

Kansas 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.

Rank

Team

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

Pts

1

Netherlands

2

1

1

0

7

3

4

4

2

Japan

2

1

1

0

6

2

4

4

3

Sweden

2

1

0

1

6

6

0

3

4

Tunisia

2

0

0

2

1

9

-8

0

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.