Japan and Morocco Meet Brazil and Netherlands in Last-32 World Cup Ties

Japan and Morocco face Brazil and the Netherlands in last-32 World Cup matches, offering the prospect of a winner from outside football's traditional powers. Both ties are among the most eye-catching of the round, with the possibility that either Brazil or the Netherlands could be eliminated. A victory for Japan or Morocco would continue the gradual shift of power away from western Europe and South America, which has produced every World Cup winner since 1978.