The Samurai Blue are in a brutal group with Spain and Germany, but the potential giant killers should not be overlooked.
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.
- Germany, Nov. 23, 8 a.m.
- Costa Rica, Nov. 27, 5 a.m.
- Spain, Dec. 1, 2 p.m.
Hajime Moriyasu, hired in July 2018
Atsushi Tokumaru/AFLOSPORT/Imago Images
Takumi Minamino, midfielder
No one on Japan’s team during the last international break came in with more international goals than the talented attacker’s 17. But Minamino has struggled somewhat in his club career since his move to Liverpool in 2020 and departure for Monaco this summer. He scored nine goals in the second round of World Cup qualifying for Japan, and the nation will hope that he can regain that form.
Kaoru Mitoma, winger
Mitoma had a breakout year for Japan with five goals in eight matches, including a goal against the U.S. in September. Mitoma made a successful leap to Europe last year with his eight goals during his loan to Belgian side Union SG and has already featured heavily in the Premier League for Brighton this season. Already a Moriyasu favorite, Mitoma could be an X-factor in Japan’s attack.
Maya Yoshida, defender
The 34-year-old is the Japanese captain and comes into Qatar having started every game and played every minute in each of the last two World Cups. Japan will need all of Yoshida’s experience—his career has taken him from the Premier League to Serie A and now the Bundesliga with Schalke—to deal with Spain and Germany’s respective attacks.
Yutaka/AFLOSPORT/Imago Images
Takehiro Tomiyasu, defender
Tomiyasu impressed in his first season with Arsenal last year with 21 Premier League appearances and has become a regular in Mikel Arteta’s side this year as Arsenal contends for the Premier League title. With his ability to play center back or either fullback position, Tomiyasu’s versatility will be a massive tool for the side in Qatar. The 24-year-old, who should be fit for the World Cup despite recently picking up an injury, will be counted on to stop some formidable attacks, but he will make a sturdy pairing with Yoshida at the back.
- Seventh appearance
- Last appearance: 2018 (Round of 16)
- Best finish: Round of 16 in 2002, 2010 and 2018
In another group without a pair of international heavyweights like Spain and Germany, Japan would have likely been a contender to advance to the knockout stage. But in Qatar, it would be a major victory in itself if Japan managed to find a way to the round of 16; however, it’s not impossible, especially if it can steal a point off one of the European giants, either catching Germany sleeping in the opener or forcing Spain to crumble under the pressure of a group-stage finale.
The key for Japan will be making sure it defeats Costa Rica in its second game of the tournament, which would give the side at least three points heading into the Spain match. With its organized defensive setup and quick rate of passing, Japan should never be overlooked. The team advanced from a difficult group in 2018 that featured Colombia, Poland and Senegal (albeit on a fair-play tiebreaker over the Senegalese), and it will count on that experience in Qatar. Still, Group E will present a tall task for Japan, no matter how organized it can be under pressure.
GOALKEEPERS: Shūichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg), Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden)
DEFENDERS: Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Red Diamonds), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Maya Yoshida (Schalke)
MIDFIELDERS: Ritsu Dōan (Freiburg), Wataru Endo (Stuttgart), Junya Ito (Reims), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting CP), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganés), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)
FORWARDS: Takuma Asano (Bochum), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge)
Huddersfield Town defender Yuta Nakayama was forced to withdraw through injury and has yet to be replaced.
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