One of the hottest Round of 32 matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be right here in Houston. The men’s national teams for Brazil and Japan will face off Monday afternoon in front of what should be a packed house at Houston Stadium, known by the locals as Reliant (former NRG) Stadium.

Ahead of Monday’s match, the Brazilian national team arrived in Houston on Saturday. The crowds showed up.

Video shared Sunday by the Brazilian Football Confederation and published at onefootball.com shows the Brazilian squad touching down in Houston and disembarking from an American Airlines jet. Then they’re riding in their official busses on the I-610 Loop and ending up at their hotel, the Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria in Uptown Houston.

Players signed autographs to excited fans all decked in their Brazilian kits and waving flags. They shook hands and posed for pictures with fans. Children cried while taking video of the scene.

Multiple other videos taken on Saturday show the Brazilian team members exiting the busses and greeting fans amid a raucous scene outside the Hyatt Regency. 

This will be the Brazilian team’s fourth stop on a World Cup tour they hope ends with a championship—Canarinho has 12-1 odds to win the whole thing, via DraftKings on Sunday morning (behind France, Argentina, Spain and England). Previously, Brazil played in East Rutherford, N.J., Philadelphia and Miami, going 2-0-1 in those matches with a better goal differential than others, giving them a first place finish in Group C.

Chron spoke to one Brazilian fan watching the Spain vs. Uruguay match Friday night at FIFA Fan Festival in Houston. The fan had just arrived in Houston to cheer on the national team, having been to all three previous locations. The fan, who remained anonymous, told Chron he really enjoyed Miami and was excited to eat Texas barbecue while in Houston.

Fan Festival was beginning to fill up with both Brazilian and Japanese fans Friday night, though the scene also included plenty of Mexican and Spanish fans, along with scattered Saudi and Congolese fans. Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde played to a 0-0 draw Friday night, which ultimately allowed the latter the opportunity to continue into the knockout stage of the tournament.

On Sunday, the Brazilian team took to Shell Energy Stadium in Houston to practice ahead of their meeting with Japan, which finished in second place in Group F after a win against Tunisia and draws to both the Netherlands and Sweden.

Brazil vs. Japan is the penultimate match in Houston during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city will also host a quarterfinal game on July 4 between the winners of Canada vs. South Africa and Morocco vs. the Netherlands.