Japan made plenty of noise in the U.S. when it dismantled Gregg Berhalter’s national team in a September 2–0 friendly win, but the Samurai Blue have been a consistent force since the last World Cup. In 2018, Japan was on the verge of advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals before Belgium, which ended up finishing third, mounted a furious comeback in the round of 16. Japan has only grown from there.
Former national team midfielder Hajime Moriyasu has a firm hold on this team. No Japan manager has recorded a higher win percentage than his current 68.4%, while only one manager (Zico, 2002-06) has coached more matches for Japan than Moriyasu’s 57. Moriyasu led the side to the 2019 Asian Cup final, where the team lost to Qatar, and also coached the Japanese men’s team at the Tokyo Olympics.
After breezing through the second round of Asian qualifying, Japan qualified for its seventh straight World Cup by finishing second in its third-round group behind Qatar-bound Saudi Arabia. After scoring six goals in Russia in 2018, the most for the country at a World Cup, it will return to the stage with a solid attack teeming with options on the wing.
