Brazil vs. Japan Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2026

Vinicius Junior and Brazil begin their knockout stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday against Japan in Houston.

Brazil found its attacking stride in its final two group games with a pair of 3-0 victories.

Japan took second in Group F behind the Netherlands. It scored seven goals, including two in its opener against the Dutch.

Brazil comes in as the clear favorite to move to the round of 16, but Japan could be a trickier-than-expected opponent.

Brazil vs. Japan

Date: Monday, June 29

Start Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox One or FoxSports.com

Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook):

To Qualify for Next Round: Brazil (-310; bet $310 to win $100); Japan (+240; bet $100 to win $240)

90-Minute Money Line: Brazil (-150); Japan (+390); Draw (+270)

Brazil's dream of capturing the 2026 World Cup lies with Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti paired Cunha with Vinicius on Matchday 2 of the group stage and the combination worked wonders with six goals between the two players.

Vinicius is in the Golden Boot hunt with four goals, while Cunha has two of his own.

The duo worked well together with Rayan against Scotland. That is important because Raphinha is currently dealing with an injury. Rayan needs to be effective on the opposite flank of Vinicius to keep defenses honest throughout the knockout phase.

Brazil's defense held two clean sheets and conceded one goal to Morocco, so there isn't much to worry about with experienced players, like Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes at the back.

Japan's defense will likely have more pressure on it throughout the 90, or 120 minutes, in Houston.

The Blue Samurai conceded twice to the Netherlands and once to Sweden. That's not exactly the defensive record you want to boast going into a clash with one of the sport's perennial powers.

However, Japan can enter Monday with some confidence because it did beat Brazil on home soil in a friendly on October 14. Japan came back from a two-goal deficit to win that contest 3-2.

Not all of Brazil's starters played in that game, but the result can still be used as a rallying cry by the Japanese coaching staff.

Feyenoord's Ayase Ueda, who scored against Brazil in October, is one of the danger men to watch in the Japan attack.

Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada will be vital to Japan's success on both ends of the field as well.

Japan needs to hold the game scoreless for as long as possible to frustrate Brazil and have chances to strike on the counter.

However, it's difficult for any defense in the world to contain Vinicius and Cunha at the moment.

The attacking duo could easily combine for two or three more goals on Monday and send Brazil cruising into the round of 16.