Nation dossier · Group F · Advanced to knockout

Japan

Group FAFC

Latest Japan 1–1 Sweden · Group F

Title probability

0.3%

as of 2026-06-25

Overview

Japan arrive at 2026 as Asia's standard-bearers, a slick, deep, European-honed side that thrashed past qualifying with ruthless ease. Hajime Moriyasu's squad blends seasoned Bundesliga and Premier League talent with a fearless creative core, and the famous 2022 wins over Germany and Spain proved they fear nobody.

The ambition is explicit: the Samurai Blue have openly targeted breaking the Round-of-16 ceiling that has defined three of their last four campaigns. With arguably their finest-ever generation, anything short of a quarter-final would feel like underachievement.

Capital

Tokyo

Population

125,700,000

Confederation

AFC

FIFA code

JPN

World

Region

From Wikipedia

Japan fields one of the 48 national teams contesting the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Source: Wikipedia →

Squad

Goalkeepers3

1
Zion Suzuki
Parma · Rising shot-stopper, future number one
12caps
12
Daniel Schmidt
Sint-Truiden · Commanding experienced keeper
15caps
23
Keisuke Osako
Sanfrecce Hiroshima · Reliable J-League shot-stopper
3caps

Defenders8

2
Hiroki Sakai
Urawa Red Diamonds · Veteran defensive leader
75caps
3
Hiroki Ito
Bayern Munich · Composed ball-playing defender
24caps
4
Shogo Taniguchi
Sint-Truiden · Steady experienced centre-half
20caps
5
Yuto Nagatomo
FC Tokyo · Iconic veteran full-back
142caps
16
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Arsenal · Versatile defensive Swiss-army knife
40caps
19
Yukinari Sugawara
Southampton · Overlapping attacking right-back
18caps
22
Ko Itakura
Borussia Monchengladbach · Aerially dominant centre-back
35caps
26
Daiki Hashioka
Luton Town · Energetic attacking wing-back
8caps

Midfielders7

6
Wataru Endo
Liverpool · Captain and midfield engine
65caps
7
Hidemasa Morita
Sporting CP · Tireless press-resistant anchor
42caps
8
Takefusa Kubo
Real Sociedad · Mesmerising creative spark
40caps
10
Kaoru Mitoma
Brighton · Electric dribbling wing threat
30caps
14
Junya Ito
Stade de Reims · Pacey direct winger
55caps
17
Reo Hatate
Celtic · Box-to-box dynamism
12caps
21
Ritsu Doan
Eintracht Frankfurt · Clutch goalscoring midfielder
48caps

Forwards5

9
Ayase Ueda
Feyenoord · Hardworking penalty-box poacher
25caps
11
Shuto Machino
Holstein Kiel · Versatile mobile attacker
8caps
15
Daizen Maeda
Celtic · Relentless pressing forward
28caps
18
Takuma Asano
Mallorca · Pacey super-sub finisher
40caps
20
Koki Ogawa
NEC Nijmegen · Tall target-man option
10caps

Model

as of 2026-06-25

Champion0.3%

Reach final1.3%

Semi-final4.3%

Quarter-final15.9%

Round of 1632.8%

Advance from group100.0%

Exp. points

5.54

Proj. finish

19.5

Seed Elo

1800

Title-probability trajectory

Champion chance across the last 14 snapshots

Matches

Results

AT&T Stadium, Dallas

Estadio BBVA, Monterrey

AT&T Stadium, Dallas

History

2002
Round of 16
2018
Round of 16
2022
Round of 16

Culture

Football culture

Japanese supporters are world-famous for their colour, organisation and the now-iconic ritual of cleaning the stadium after matches. The sport has surged past its post-1993 boom into a genuine national passion, fuelled by anime like *Captain Tsubasa* and the steady success of the Samurai Blue.

Did you know

The cult manga *Captain Tsubasa* inspired generations of stars, including Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.
Japanese fans routinely stay behind to tidy the stands after matches, earning global praise.
Japan beat both Germany and Spain in the 2022 group stage to top a 'group of death'.
The J-League helped launch the careers of legends like Zico and Gary Lineker in their twilight years.
Japan have qualified for every World Cup since their 1998 debut.