Japan vs South Africa Preview & Prediction | 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup | Round of 32

Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!

Victory over Portugal saw Japan earn top spot in Group B, setting up this round of 16 clash against South Africa.

Kick-off date/time:

How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – Fox Sports

How to watch online: UK – FIFA+ / US – FIFA+

Japan vs South Africa prediction

South Africa are a team who have proven be strong going forward, but extremely vulnerable defensively and the numbers don’t lie on both fronts. They are yet to keep a clean sheet in this tournament, conceding five times in total but have scored five goals themselves, finding the net at least once in all three of their Group A matches.

Japan boasts a significantly tighter backline and it’s hard to see them not finding the net at least once over the course of 90 minutes against South Africa. Don’t be surprised to see the latter push men forwards, knowing the best course of defence is attack, but this could play into Japanese hands. In the end, backing Japan to win appears the sensible move but consider doing so along with both teams to score.

Japan vs South Africa tip: Japan to win and both teams to score