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Good morning, I'm Dan Gartland. Here's some encouraging news for Europe after a difficult day at the World Cup yesterday: at least one UEFA nation will secure a spot in the round of 16 today. (France and Sweden are squaring off against each other.)
In today's SI:AM:
🇩🇪 Germany bows out
🇧🇷 Brazil holds on
⚾ AL MVP contenders
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How can you follow that?
When I wrote yesterday that "this week is shaping up to be perhaps the best week of the entire World Cup," I never anticipated that we'd witness an entire week's worth of drama compressed into a single day.
Four of the 16 matches in the round of 32 have been completed, and every single one has been a nail-biter. Things kicked off with Canada's historic win over South Africa on Sunday, sealed by Stephen Eustáquio's stoppage-time winner, and Monday's trio of games continued right where things left off.
Two of international soccer's most decorated nations were dramatically eliminated from the tournament via penalty shootouts yesterday, while another traditional powerhouse narrowly escaped a major scare.
Five-time champions Brazil fell behind early against Japan, but progressed courtesy of a stoppage-time strike from Gabriel Martinelli. Four-time champions Germany were eliminated after being beaten in a penalty shootout against Paraguay. In the final game of the day, the Netherlands, who had not lost a World Cup match in regulation since 2006, were knocked out in a shootout against Morocco.
It's hard to envision a more dramatic opening set of four knockout stage matches. Three decisive goals in stoppage time, two shootouts and one significant upset. The bar has been set extremely high for the remainder of the tournament.
It will be a hard act to follow, but the remaining round of 32 fixtures offer some mouth-watering clashes, owing to a somewhat unusual bracket. One concern heading into the tournament was that the expanded field would produce some one-sided knockout round pairings. Sure enough, there are a few of those—such as world No. 4 England taking on No. 41 DR Congo, and top-ranked Argentina facing No. 64 Cabo Verde—but plenty of contests should be closely contested. Perhaps too closely contested.
The Morocco-Netherlands match was a peculiar one, as it brought together two sides with genuine ambitions of a deep World Cup run so early in the competition. Morocco, who reached the semifinals at the previous World Cup, sits sixth in the current FIFA rankings, while the Netherlands are seventh. Likewise, Belgium (No. 10) and Senegal (No. 18) are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, while Portugal (No. 8) and Croatia (No. 13) clash on Thursday. There are also matchups between closely ranked sides further down the table, such as Egypt vs. Australia (No. 26 vs. No. 28) and Norway vs. Ivory Coast (No. 23 vs. No. 31). A more balanced bracket would have seen more contenders pitted against underdogs, but there's considerable unpredictability when the bracket is shaped by group stage results. All the chaos in the group stage—like Portugal unexpectedly finishing as runners-up in their group—produced a knockout bracket that has already delivered no shortage of excitement.
The best of Sports Illustrated
The top five…
… things I witnessed yesterday:
5. Seiya Suzuki's walk-off hit for the Cubs against standout Padres closer Mason Miller. It was a towering fly ball that looked like it might sail over the fence or be hauled in by San Diego left fielder Jase Bowen. "At first, I thought he caught it," Suzuki told reporters through an interpreter. "But then I saw a white object come out of the ivy. That's when I knew it had dropped." The Cubs now boast an MLB-best 10 walk-off victories this season.
4. A spectacular catch by Reds center fielder Dane Myers, who slammed hard into the wall after making the play. He had to be carted off the field. X-rays taken at the stadium came back negative, but manager Terry Francona told reporters that Myers was transported to the hospital "because he was in so much pain."
3. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's save in extra time to keep his side alive in the match.
2. The Brazilian and Mexican supporters who comforted a Japanese fan after his team's defeat moved him to tears.
1. The Paraguayan TV commentary at the moment it knocked out Germany.
Today's best reads
World Cup Best Bets Today (Predictions for Brazil-Japan, Germany-Paraguay, and Netherlands-Morocco)
Best World Cup Goal Scorer Bets Today (Bet on Brian Brobbey to Score for the Netherlanders)
World Cup Odds Heading Into Knockout Stage: France Favored After Group Stage
Germany vs. Paraguay Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for World Cup Round of 32
Every Round of 32 Match at the 2026 World Cup: Dates, Kickoff Times
Dan Gartland authors Sports Illustrated's flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and serves as host of the "Stadium Wonders" video series. He joined the SI team in 2014, after previously being published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a Fordham University graduate, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).