2026 World Cup Picks: Brazil vs. Japan (Monday)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup rolls on Monday, and so do our 2026 World Cup picks. We have a total of three Round of 32 matches today.
At 1:00 p.m. ET, Brazil and Japan (FOX) meet in Houston, Texas. At 4:30 p.m. ET, Germany and Paraguay (FOX) square off in Foxborough, Massachusetts. And, at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Netherlands and Morocco (FOX) meet at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, in what could be the match of the day.
All of the matchups are available on Telemundo and FOX One. We ended up going 10-1 in Friday’s column. Let’s do it again, as we look to build our bankroll with our top 2026 World Cup picks and predictions for Monday, June 29th’s game Brazil vs. Japan.
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Monday’s Best 2026 World Cup Picks & Predictions: Brazil vs. Japan
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Brazil (-230) vs. Japan (+350) | Draw (+650) | O/U 2.5 (+114/-140)
Brazil won Group C, edging out Morocco on goal differential. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw, so the next tiebreaker was the differential. Vínicius Júnior notched four goals in the three group-stage matches, while Matheus Cunha was good for the team’s other three goals. If Brazil is going to go deep into this tournament, it must have more diversified scoring.
Japan finished second in Group F, picking up one victory and two draws en route to five points and a +4 goal differential. It blasted Tunisia 4-0 in the middle match for its only victory. Japan played to a 1-1 draw against table-topper Netherlands, proving that this side has plenty of quality to compete against other world-class opponents.
However, beating up on a North African mid-tier soccer club and playing to a draw against Sweden is fine, but not terribly impressive. Facing Seleção Canarinho is a gigantic step up in quality and competition, and a task the Blue Samurais might not necessarily be ready for.
We’re in Houston for the early start, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a bit of a sluggish beginning. However, when the dust clears at the end, the best course of action is the safest.
Let’s back Brazil to get the job done, and we’ll go high on the total, as we might be looking at a 2-1 kind of a match. We’ll also play a player prop - Vínicius Júnior to score.
Picks: Brazil 3-way Moneyline (-240), Over 2.5 Goals (-132), Brazil to Win by Exactly 1 Goal (+220) & Vínicius Júnior Anytime Goalscorer (+160)