Brazil v Japan: World Cup 2026 last 32 – live

Key events We have an early email! It’s from Krish Krishnamoorthy, an old friend of this parish. “Japan is not against Brazil ,” he says firmly, “but against Don Carlo today and that would make all the difference. I predict a 1-3.” You may well be right, Krish, but let’s not forget the man whose hand Ancelotti will shortly be shaking. Hajime Moriyasu has been Japan’s manager for eight years and has won no fewer than 74 of his 107 games in charge, if his Wikipedia page is to be believed. The last (and first) World Cup match I covered took four hours. That was France v Iraq, the game that, thanks to lightning in Philadelphia, had a two-hour half-time. But lightning doesn’t strike twice and the BBC forecast assures us that Houston will be “sunny with a gentle breeze”. Quite toasty too: 33 or 34 degrees – but the stadium has air-con. This place hosted five group games, divided into two distinct types. Three were thrashings: Germany 7-1 Curacao, Netherlands 5-1 Sweden, Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan. But the other two were cagey affairs: Portugal 1-1 DR Congo, Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia. Can we agree that today’s game could go either way? Share Updated at 16.27 BST It feels as if everyone in football knows Carlo Ancelotti, but Rodrygo, of Real Madrid and Brazil , knows him better than most. Ancelotti, he believes, is “driven by a phenomenal coherence”. Not something that can be said of every manager. Hello everyone and welcome to the 74th game of this World Cup . …