World Cup schedule: Start times for every match and how to watch

For the first time, the FIFA World Cup is being played in the Middle East for a fall tournament highlighting soccer’s best.

The U.S. men’s national team saw its World Cup run end in a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands on Saturday. After playing to draws against Wales and England, the U.S. defeated Iran 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the round of 16 before falling to the Dutch.

Mexico, hit hard by injuries and issues within its federation, was eliminated from the World Cup on Wednesday despite a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in its group-play finale.

Here's a look at Monday and Tuesday's round of 16 World Cup matchups:

Japan vs. Croatia

Where: Al Janoub Stadium

Time: 7 a.m. PST Monday

TV: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock Premium

The buzz: Which Japanese team will show up for this game? The one that beat former World Cup champions Germany and Spain to win its group? Or the one that lost to lowly Costa Rica in between?

Japan has done just enough to win here, with both victories coming by a single goal and all of its scores coming in the second half.

Winger Ritsu Doan, one of eight Japanese players who compete in Germany, has two of those four goals. Goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, who has conceded a single goal in all three games, is fourth in the tournament with 12 saves.

This is Japan’s fourth trip to the final 16 in six World Cups, but it has never gotten past the fourth game.

Croatia, which made it to the final in 2018, is playing in the round of 16 for a third time and it won in both previous tries. It is unbeaten here but two of its results have been draws, leaving it second in its group to Morocco. It was shut out in both those ties, scoring only in its 4-1 win over Morocco.

Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic was been called on to make just five saves in the two clean sheets.

Brazil vs. South Korea

Where: Stadium 974

Time: 11 a.m. PST Monday

TV: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock Premium

The buzz: Brazil is hoping to see Neymar back on the field of the first time since the opener, when an ankle injury sent him off late in the second half.

Neymar's return, while unlikely, would be especially with Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus and Sevilla defender Alex Tellas out for the rest of the tournament. Both are sidelined with knee injuries sustained in the group-play final with Cameroon.

A Seleção won the group without Neymar but that was primarily on the strength of its goalkeeper Ederson, who allowed just one goal, that coming in stoppage time of the final group-play game. Brazil, ranked No. 1 in the world and a heavy tournament favorite, hasn’t looked the part, scoring just three goals of its own, two from Richarlison and one from Casemiro.

South Korea only barely advanced, with Hwang Hee-chan’s goal in stoppage time beating Portugal in the group final and lifting the Koreans over Uruguay on a tiebreaker. South Korea is playing in its 10th consecutive World Cup — only four nations have longer active streaks — but this is just its second trip to the final 16.

Morocco vs. Spain

Where: Education City Stadium

Time: 7 a.m. PST Tuesday

TV: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock Premium

The buzz: Morocco and Spain occupy different continents, though they separated by just eight miles. The two nations’ soccer histories, however, are separated by far more than that.

Morocco is making just its second appearance in the round of 16 and first since 1986 while Spain, a former World Cup champion, has missed the knockout rounds just once this century. But in this tournament unbeaten Morocco has arguably been the better team, winning a group that included No. 2 Belgium and Croatia with a smothering defense that allowed only an own goal in group play.

On offense the Moroccans have been incredibly efficient, getting four goals from four different players on 21 shots. Only four teams finished group play with fewer shots.

Spain, which lost its group-play finale to Japan to finish second, pounded Costa Rica 7-0 in its opener but has gotten just two goals, both from Álvaro Morata, since then. Morata finished group play tied for the tournament lead with three scores.

Buoyed by its performance against Costa Rica, Spain has completed a World Cup-best 2,384 passes in the group stage, marking the return of the short-passing, possession-based style of play the team perfected in its 2010 title run. Spain also tied England for the scoring lead with nine goals in group play.

Portugal vs. Switzerland

Where: Lusail Stadium

Time: 11 a.m. PDT

TV: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock Premium

The buzz: Cristiano Ronaldo has made it past the final 16 of a World Cup just once and that was in 2006, when his brilliant career was just getting started. He needs a win here if he hopes to make a final run at a World Cup title, the one prize he’s never won.

Portugal won its group despite conceding a stoppage-time goal to South Korea to lose its final game, one in which it rested six starters. And while Ronaldo scored the first of his team’s six goals in the tournament on a penalty kick, he hasn’t scored since.

Adding to Portugal’s worries, Paris Saint-Germain wingback Nuno Mendes is out for the rest of the tournament after sustaining a thigh injury in group play and clubmate Danilo Pereira, a center back, injured three ribs during a training session, leaving his availability in doubt.

Switzerland’s only loss came by a goal to Brazil, sandwiched around one-goal wins over Cameroon and Serbia. A win here would be historic since the Swiss never have gone past the fourth game, its furthest advance in the World Cup coming in 1954 when the tournament featured 16 teams. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Nico Elvedi, who both missed the Serbia game due to illness, are expected to be available.

World Cup TV schedule

Note: All scheduled group matches have been played.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.