'Korea and Japan eliminated from Round of 32 → All Asian teams wiped out in Round of 16': U.S. Fox Sports World Cup forecast

*This content was translated by AI.

A prediction has emerged that Asian teams, including South Korea and Japan, will all be eliminated in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup.

On the 4th (Korea time), U.S. Fox Sports released a predicted tournament bracket from the Round of 32 to the final ahead of the North America World Cup kickoff.

Fox Sports forecast that the South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, and the Japanese national team would both advance to the Round of 32 tournament. The media predicts that South Korea will meet Canada in the Round of 32, while Japan will clash with Brazil.

In the tournament bracket, the only scenario in which South Korea and Canada could meet in the Round of 32 is if both teams finish second in Group A and Group B, respectively. Additionally, a Round of 32 matchup between Brazil and Japan would only occur if Brazil advances as the winner of Group C and Japan advances as the runner-up of Group F.

Only two teams from Asia were expected to reach the Round of 32: South Korea and Japan.

However, Fox Sports forecast that while both South Korea and Japan would reach the Round of 32, they would be eliminated without advancing to the next round, the Round of 16.

South Korea is expected to fail to overcome the wall posed by Canada, the co-host of this tournament, and Japan is also predicted to be unable to defeat Brazil, whom they beat in a friendly match last October, on the World Cup stage.

With both South Korea and Japan eliminated from the very first Round of 32 match, no Asian team will appear in the North America World Cup Round of 16 bracket.

Canada, which defeated South Korea, will face the Netherlands, and Brazil, which advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating Japan, will face Norway in a contest for a spot in the quarterfinals. In particular, Fox Sports predicted that all World Cup co-hosts, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico, will advance to the Round of 16.

In the subsequent World Cup quarterfinals, matchups between France and the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium, Brazil and England, and Argentina and Portugal were predicted. This would leave six European teams and two South American teams surviving.

Attention also turned to the possibility of a World Cup quarterfinal clash between "eternal rivals" Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), who are both set to play their last World Cup dance.

Fox Sports forecast that France and Spain, and England and Argentina, would each play their respective semifinal matches, with Spain and England meeting in the final, and Spain emerging as champion.

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*This content was translated by AI.