Samurai Blue: Japan’s Road to the FIFA World Cup 2026
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Moriyasu Japan
The Japanese men’s national soccer team, under skipper Moriyasu Hajime, is making its eighth consecutive appearance in the FIFA World Cup. Japan, ranked eighteenth internationally, is competing in Group F alongside the Netherlands (seventh), Sweden (thirty-eighth), and Tunisia (forty-fourth). Samurai Blue kicks off its campaign against the Netherlands on June 14 (June 15 in Japan) at Dallas Stadium in Texas.
Japan’s National Team World Cup Schedule
(Dates and times in Japan)
| Group Stage Matches (Group F) | Opponent |
|---|---|
| June 15 (Mon), 05:00 | Netherlands (Dallas) |
| June 21 (Sun), 13:00 | Tunisia (Monterrey) |
| June 26 (Fri), 08:00 | Sweden (Dallas) |
Moriyasu, a former midfielder for the national team, proved his coaching credentials at J. League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where he led the club to three league championships in his five and a half seasons as manager. He has been at Japan’s helm since 2018, where he engineered the squad’s historic defeats of Germany and Spain in Qatar in 2022 that saw it through to its second consecutive appearance in the Round of 16, only to lose to Croatia on penalties.
Japan dominated its World Cup qualifying campaign, punching its ticket with 13 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss. Samurai Blue fans are eager for Moriyasu to steer the squad of mostly Europe-based players past the first round of the knockout stage, a hope that has been buoyed by recent back-to-back 1–0 road wins in friendlies against Scotland and powerhouse England.
Second Round Qualifying (November 2023–June 2024)
Group B winner: 6–0
- W 5–0 Myanmar
- W 5–0 Syria
- W 1–0 North Korea
- W 3–0 North Korea (forfeit)
- W 5–0 Myanmar
- W 5–0 Syria
Third Round Qualifying (September 2024–June 2025)
Group C winner: 7–2–1
- W 7–0 China
- W 5–0 Bahrain
- W 2–0 Saudi Arabia
- D 1–1 Australia
- W 4–0 Indonesia
- W 3–1 China
- W 2–0 Bahrain
- D 0–0 Saudi Arabia
- L 0–1 Australia
- W 6–0 Indonesia
Europe-Heavy Squad
The Japan Football Association announced the 26-man World Cup squad on May 15, which consists almost entirely of players currently playing in Europe. Names to watch include forward Ueda Ayase (Feyenoord), midfielders Endō Wataru (Liverpool), Itō Jun’ya (KRC Genk), Dōan Ritsu (Frankfurt), and Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad), defender Tomiyasu Takehiro (Ajax), and goalkeeper Suzuki Zion (Parma). Notably absent is midfielder Mitoma Kaoru (Brighton), who suffered a hamstring injury in a match on May 9. Veteran defender Nagatomo Yūto, one of only three domestic players called up, at 39 years old will be playing in his fifth consecutive World Cup.
Japan’s Record at the FIFA World Cup
1998 (France)
Group stage
2002 (Japan/South Korea)
Round of 16 (lost 0–1 to Turkey)
2006 (Germany)
Group stage
2010 (South Africa)
Round of 16 (lost on penalties 3–5 to Paraguay)
2014 (Brazil)
Group stage
2018 (Russia)
Round of 16 (lost 2–3 to Belgium)
2022 (Qatar)
Round of 16 (lost on penalties 1–3 to Croatia)
Data Sources
- Latest men’s world ranking from FIFA
- Information on second round qualifying and third round qualifying (Japanese) from the Japan Football Association
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Samurai Blue’s starting 11 ahead of its friendly match against England at Wembley Stadium in London on March 31, 2026. © AFP/Jiji.)