World Cup Predictions for 6/29/26

Brazil vs Japan 

Score Prediction: Brazil 2, Japan 1

 

The knockout stage has arrived and after a sleepy start with Canada winning in stoppage time late against South Africa yesterday we are greeted with three really strong matches on Monday. Brazil and Japan were two teams I had pegged for potential deep runs in this tournament, so it’s unfortunate that they are meeting this early in the competition. I’ve talked about buying low on this Brazilian side all month and after a very slow start in their opening match they turned it on in a big way. They look as if they got their mojo back, though picking off a very organized Japanese team will be no easy feat. Japan are unbeaten in their last 10 matches with some insane results over that stretch and are the most aesthetically pleasing team to watch in my opinion – I love their philosophy and how they approach each match. Both sides will be missing key players in this one – but for Japan, I think the injuries are just too much. If they were fully healthy, I would be confidently picking an upset here but as it currently stands I think it’s a bit too much to overcome against a Brazilian side hitting their stride. 

 

Germany vs Paraguay 

Score Prediction: Germany 1, Paraguay 0

 

This is easily the worst game on paper of the day, but that’s no disrespect to either side. Paraguay is one of the more underwhelming teams that advanced through to the knockout rounds, while Germany finds themselves out of the group stage for the first time since 2014 – when they won the whole thing. I have been a bit lower on this German side, and to be honest I think they are one of the bigger teams ripe for an upset early in this tournament. That being said, I just don’t think Paraguay has what it takes to be clinical enough to find a goal or two and knock them off. They’re going to try and muddy this up as much as they can and just hope for some magic in extra time or PKs. I’ll ride with Germany today, but will certainly be picking against them in their next match. 

 

Netherlands vs Morocco 

Score Prediction: Netherlands 1, Morocco 1 - Netherlands Advance in Penalty Shootout 

 

This will be another banger of the match. This game is semi-final quality so once again, it’s a shame that it has to come this early in the knockout stage. The Dutch have so often disappointed in big spots like this, but I will admit this team feels differently. They have really found something with Brian Brobbey up top and their defense has been one of the best in the competition thus far. Morocco has been a bit underwhelming relative to what we’ve seen from them in other major tournaments in recent years, but this is a very good team. I think Morocco will be comfortable sitting back and playing the counter in this game and they can frustrate the Netherlands enough to get this game to extra time where anything can happen. I think the Dutch are rightfully favored in this match, but I think we see this one through to extra time.