One of the closest matches of the World Cup 2022's Round of 16 is expected to be Croatia vs Japan on December 5, and no one can guess who's going to win out of the two teams.
This match puts together the winner of group E, Japan, with the runner-up of group F, Croatia. While Japan isn't known for being one of the best teams of all time, it had an incredible group stage, beating two legendary teams in Spain and Germany.
Croatia has a great track record, coming second-place in the 2018 World Cup, though it only managed to win one of its three group-stage games.
So it's hard to guess who will win from these two teams, so it's worth watching the game to find out. This guide will show you how to watch the Croatia vs Japan game from around the world.
How to watch Japan vs Croatia in the US
Japan vs Croatia kicks off at 10 am ET/7 am PT.
The game is airing on Fox's main channel, so if it's included in your cable plan, you don't need to pay anything extra. It'll also be on foxsports.com.
You can also use live TV streaming services to watch the game. Sling TV's Blue plan is your most affordable option, costing $40 per month (and half price for your first month), but you could also use FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV or YouTube TV.
Peacock is also airing the games, if you're on the $4.99 Premium plan or above, but it's a simulcast from Telemundo, so it'll be in Spanish.
How to watch Japan vs Croatia in the UK
There's a 3 pm kick-off for the game in the UK.
It's playing on BBC One, and you'll be able to stream it online on iPlayer too, so it's pretty easy to watch whether you're set up with a big TV or are viewing it on your phone.
How to watch Japan vs Croatia from anywhere
If you're going to be away from home but still want to watch the Japan vs Croatia game, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you'll be able to solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch your favorite TV shows even if you're going to be away from where you would normally watch your favorite shows and movies. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Japan vs Croatia: important information
When does Japan vs Croatia kick off?
Japan vs Croatia kicks off at 10 am ET/7 am PT/3 pm GMT.
It's the first of two games on the day, with the next playing four hours later.
Where does Japan vs Croatia take place?
Japan and Croatia meet at the Al-Janoub Station in Al-Wakrah, Qatar.
This is the last match of the tournament to take place in this 44,000-seater, which was built especially for the 2022 World Cup.
What you need to know about the match
Japan and Croatia have met on the pitch a few times before, but not in 12 years.
Japan is one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup so far, beating both Spain and Germany in its group stage, resulting in the latter being knocked out of the tournament entirely. Interestingly, the only team it lost to was Costa Rica, which itself lost to Spain and Germany.
Looking at its track record, Croatia is the better team, with a draw in the 2018 World Cup. It also got to the Round of 16 in the 2020 Euros before narrowly losing to Spain. However in this World Cup, it's only managed to win one game, against Canada, with draws against Morocco and Belgium.
Of all the games in the Round of 16, this is the one that bookies seem to be most split against — no-one can tell if the Asian team will continue its gauntlet of victory, or whether the European team will pull it back.
