SOCCER: Japan aim for World Cup breakthrough after high-profile wins

Headed to their eighth consecutive World Cup after historic friendly wins over Brazil and England, Japan looks to finally break their round-of-16 curse. Coach Hajime Moriyasu is confident that his squad's ambition and European experience will propel them past the group stage and deep into the knockout rounds.

Michael Church / Reuters

June 1, 2026

Japan midfielder Wataru Endo and coach Hajime Moriyasu pose for a photo with members of the Japan women’s national team and former player Homare Sawa after an international friendly against Iceland at National Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

Issei Kato / Reuters

Japan heads to its eighth successive World Cup finals on the back of several high-profile victories, with coach Hajime Moriyasu bullish about his team's chances of reaching the tournament's latter stages.

The four-time Asian champions secured friendly wins over Brazil and England during the last eight months. However, in four appearances in the World Cup knockout rounds, they have failed to register a single victory, crashing out in the round of 16 each time.

Defeats to Turkey in 2002, Paraguay in 2010, Belgium in 2018, and Croatia four years ago leave Moriyasu and his team with a psychological hurdle to clear in the coming weeks.

For his part, Moriyasu is confident that his players have the work ethic and humility to remain level-headed in pursuit of a groundbreaking result for the country.

"The players have consistently shown a strong desire to improve themselves," said Moriyasu, who will be leading Japan at his second consecutive World Cup.

"Even when we beat opponents we had never defeated before — like Brazil last year or England this March — the team was of course happy, but then immediately shifted focus. I sense that there is joy, but also a calm and steady awareness that there is another goal beyond that."

Moriyasu will be looking to build on the team's performance in 2022, when Japan registered stunning wins over Spain and Germany to top its group, despite a surprise 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica. The subsequent loss to Croatia came in a penalty shootout, abruptly ending a campaign that had promised so much.

But with the core of the squad from four years ago still in place, Moriyasu believes the team can build on its previous performances, starting with group-stage matches against the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden.

"The players, especially since so many are now active in Europe, teach me many things," Moriyasu added. "I learn from them how they are used tactically at their clubs, what roles they are given, and what their coaches are teaching them.

"In that sense, I have learned a great deal from the players about global standards. More than anything, the players are full of ambition — they want to break through their limits and keep going as far as possible." -Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters