Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands are all in Monday’s Wc Cisterns round-of-32 action as the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage moves on. Three ties sit on the same day, and Brazil and Germany go in with the strongest pre-match numbers from Opta.
Brazil meet Japan, Germany face Paraguay and the Netherlands play Morocco. The day is more than a schedule line: each result sends one team toward the round of 16 and pushes the other out of the bracket.
Brazil-Japan carries the sharpest contrast
Opta gave Brazil a 57.3 percent chance of winning across 25,000 simulations, with Japan at 19.7 percent and 23.0 percent of the runs finishing level after 90 minutes. Brazil have won 11 of their 14 previous meetings with Japan and lost only once, but the most recent meeting went the other way.
Last October, Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in Tokyo after overturning a two-goal deficit. Brazil also beat Japan 4-1 in their only previous World Cup meeting 20 years ago, so the numbers point in one direction while the latest result points in another.
Germany, Paraguay and the model
Germany’s matchup with Paraguay is tighter on the projection sheet. Opta gave Germany a 54.7 percent chance of winning inside 90 minutes, Paraguay 23.1 percent and the draw 22.3 percent from the 25,000 simulations.
The two sides have met only twice before. Germany beat Paraguay in a World Cup last-16 game in 2002, and they drew 3-3 in an international friendly in 2013. Germany also carry a 78.6 percent chance of reaching the round of 16, with a 4.4 percent chance of winning the World Cup.
Netherlands and Morocco meet again
The Netherlands and Morocco are meeting at the World Cup for only the second time. The Netherlands won 2-1 in the 1994 group stage, with Dennis Bergkamp and Bryan Roy on the scoresheet.
That history sits alongside a broader run: the Netherlands are unbeaten in six World Cup matches against African opposition and scored at least twice in each of those wins. Morocco, though, come in after beating Scotland and are chasing back-to-back World Cup wins over European opponents for the first time.
Hong Myung-bo’s resignation has also left South Korea searching for a new coach, one more reminder that this tournament is already reshaping teams beyond Monday’s fixtures. For Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands, the immediate task is simple: survive the World Cup knockout stage and keep the route to the round of 16 alive.
