Japan vs. Brazil World Cup 2026: Samurai Blue Through to Round of 32 After Sweden Thriller

Japan is into the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the team will face Brazil after one of the most nerve-shredding nights of their tournament so far. A 1-1 draw with Sweden at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday confirmed second place in Group F.

Daizen Maeda put Japan in front just after the hour, Anthony Elanga cancelled it out six minutes later with a finish that Zion Suzuki will likely want to forget, and the final 30 minutes were spent grimly holding on as Sweden chased a winner that would have reshuffled the group entirely.

Japan vs Sweden: First Half

For 45 minutes in Dallas, very little happened, and both teams seemed broadly comfortable with that arrangement. Sweden had the better of the early exchanges, with Elanga a persistent irritant down the right flank from the opening whistle, drawing fouls and probing in behind, but they could not turn their pressure into anything that genuinely tested Suzuki.

Japan’s best opportunity of the half came just before the hydration break when a looping ball found Maeda’s head inside the box, but he could not direct it on target. Isak Hien collected the half’s only yellow card for a cynical takedown on Ayase Ueda, and then picked up an injury that would eventually force him off.

Daizen Maeda Breaks the Deadlock

Moriyasu had brought on Shogo Taniguchi for Ko Itakura before the break, a tactical tweak that seemed to give Japan a little more structure going forward, and the second half was a different game entirely.

The opener, when it came in the 56th minute, was the kind of goal Japan has built its identity on: patient, precise and then suddenly lethal. Ritsu Doan picked the ball up on the edge of the area, took one look, and slipped a disguised through ball into Maeda’s run that the Celtic forward had been threatening to make all evening. Maeda stayed composed, slid the ball home, and Japan was ahead.

It was his second World Cup goal, and it had been coming. Maeda had spent the entire match making himself a nuisance, tracking back, pressing high, linking play in tight spaces… essentially doing everything the scorsheet rarely captures. When he finally got his reward, it felt earned in a way few goals do.

Anthony Elanga Equalizes for Sweden

The problem was that Sweden needed a win, and they had Anthony Elanga. Six minutes after Maeda’s opener, Gyokeres found Elanga on the right side of the area. Elanga’s run had pulled Ao Tanaka out of position, and the space that was created was all he needed.

What followed was somewhere between a cross and a shot, a whipped left-footed effort that curved through the crowd of bodies and into the net before Suzuki had fully committed to a direction. It was Elanga’s second goal of the tournament in two appearances, and it was spectacular enough that the Japan goalkeeper could argue he had little chance, though replays suggested a better set position might have helped.

Zion Suzuki Keeps Japan in the World Cup

Sweden smelled blood and pushed hard for a winner that would have taken them above Japan in the table. Suzuki, to his enormous credit, refused to let them have it. When Sugawara lost possession carelessly in midfield and Isak collected the ball and fired low from the edge of the box, Suzuki was down quickly to palm it away.

In stoppage time, Elanga drove into the area again and Suzuki denied him a second time, and when the corner that followed was met by Isak, the Sweden striker could only rattle the crossbar. Japan survived, and the whistle went shortly after.

Japan vs Brazil: World Cup 2026 Round of 32

The bracket did not do Japan any favors. Brazil, five-time world champions and one of the heaviest favorites going into the knockout rounds, awaits in Texas.

Japan has shown real defensive discipline and genuine attacking threat in flashes throughout the group stage, but facing Brazil represents a significant step up from anything they have encountered so far. Maeda’s form, Suzuki’s composure under pressure, and the midfield control of Daichi Kamada and Ao Tanaka will all need to be at their peak.

Japan has beaten bigger odds before. In the 2022 World Cup, they knocked out Germany and Spain in the group stage before falling on penalties to Croatia. The Samurai Blue know how to rise to the occasion and they will absolutely need to do it again.

Check out our Japan World Cup 2026 guide to learn more about the schedule, players & where to watch the games in Tokyo