WITH the group stage now firmly in the rearview mirror and 17 teams already sent packing, the World Cup knockouts continue today with three fascinating win-or-bust Round of 32 matches, headlined by five-time winners Brazil taking on dark horses Japan in Houston.
Heavy favourites Germany will then seek to avoid an upset when they face Paraguay, with the prize a last-16 showdown against either France or Sweden. The Netherlands and Morocco, meanwhile, go head-to-head in easily the pick of the round after both lived up to the hype during the group stage.
Here, we’ll take a look at all three matches, with a Bet Builder for every fixture on the schedule.
ON THE BALL
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Bet Builder of the Day – 29th June
Brazil vs Japan | 29th June, 6pm BST | Houston Stadium | ITV1
Brazil and Japan meet in one of the standout ties of the Round of 32. The Selecao topped Group C with seven points, but were far from convincing in their only stern test against Morocco, requiring some individual brilliance from Vinicius Junior.
Japan, meanwhile, have proven they can mix it with the very best, went unbeaten in a difficult group and beat today’s opponents 3-2 in a friendly just eight months ago. The winners will face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the Round of 16.
Bet Builder (SBK):
Brazil to win – Brazil are on a roll, winning five of their last six matches, scoring 18 goals and registering back-to-back clean sheets. Aside from October’s defeat to Japan – a game they led 2-0 – the Selecao have beaten today’s opponents 11 times in 14 meetings.
Vinicius Junior anytime goalscorer – The Real Madrid forward is on fire at these finals, scoring in each of Brazil’s group matches, including a brace against Scotland last time out. Only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi can better his tally of eight shots on target.
Hiroki Ito to commit 2+ fouls – Japan’s left-sided defender is joint-third for most fouls committed at the World Cup with seven, averaging over two per match. He should have his hands full up against Brazil’s bright spark Rayan.
➡️ Price: 7/1 at SBK
Verdict: This will not be a walkover by any means, but Brazil have more match-winners capable of changing a game in an instant, most notably Vinicius Junior.
Germany vs Paraguay | 29th June, 9:30pm BST | Boston Stadium | BBC One
Germany’s group stage was difficult to judge and became less impressive as time wore on. A 7-1 thumping of Curacao was followed by a fortunate win over Ivory Coast courtesy of a late Deniz Undav winner, before defeat to Ecuador despite taking an early lead.
They will need to raise their levels, but perhaps not by a great deal against an extremely goal-shy Paraguay side missing attacking outlet Diego Gomez. Victory would set up a Round of 16 clash with either France or Sweden.
Bet Builder (Playzee):
Both teams to score (No) – Granted, Germany are yet to keep a clean sheet at these finals, but Paraguay have really struggled going forward. Only Tunisia have generated a lower expected goals tally after the group stage, with the South Americans managing just 1.22 xG and only five shots on target. They’ll also be without Diego Gomez through suspension.
Andres Cubas to be carded – No player at this World Cup has committed more fouls than the Paraguayan midfielder. He’s given away 11 in 270 minutes, three more than the next closest challenger. He was booked seven times in 14 MLS appearances this season and has collected eight international cautions.
Joshua Kimmich to score or assist – If Germany score, the Bayern Munich star is usually involved. Kimmich registered 14 goal contributions for Bayern last season, while he’s produced 13 (three goals, 10 assists) in just 15 starts for Germany.
➡️ Price: 10/1 at Playzee
Verdict: Paraguay are unlikely to offer enough going forward to cause Julian Nagelsmann’s side too many problems.
Netherlands vs Morocco | 30th June, 2am BST | Monterrey Stadium | ITV1
The Netherlands and Morocco meet in arguably the tightest tie of the round, with FIFA’s seventh and eighth-ranked nations going head-to-head. Both sides came through the group stage unbeaten, and that’s hardly surprising given neither has lost a competitive match in over a year.
While this may be one of the toughest Round of 32 ties on paper, the reward is clear, with either South Africa or Canada awaiting the winners in the last 16.
Bet Builder (bet365):
Both teams to score (Yes) – Six of the Netherlands’ last seven matches have seen both sides on the scoresheet. Morocco, meanwhile, have scored in all eight matches since the AFCON final, including against Brazil and Norway. The pair have combined for 36 shots on target at these finals.
Brian Brobbey anytime goalscorer – The Jattvibederland forward is in red-hot form, scoring three goals across his last two matches against Sweden and Tunisia. He’s been clinical too, netting three times from just four shots on target.
Morocco under 1.5 cards – Morocco have been one of the cleanest sides at the World Cup, receiving just one booking across their three group-stage matches. It was a similar story at AFCON, where they averaged only one card per game.
➡️ Price: 7.57/1 at bet365
Verdict: Expect a tight, high-quality contest, with both sides more than capable of getting on the scoresheet.
Read more of our 2026 World Cup betting coverage
About the author
James Anderson
James Anderson is a Betting & Gaming Writer at The Jattvibe. He is an expert in sports betting and online casinos, and joined the company in November 2020 to work closely with leading bookmakers, casinos, and online gaming companies to curate content in all areas of iGaming and sports betting. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter and Head of Live Blogs/Events at the Daily Express and Daily Star, covering football, cricket, snooker, F1 and horse racing.
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