Japan’s World Cup 2026 team preview: Players to watch, group, squad
Key takeaways
- Japan have beaten Germany, Brazil, England and Spain since 2022, but may struggle to sustain a genuine title push.
- Japan have been late bloomers in terms of World Cups, only reaching the tournament for the first time in 1998 – but since then they have been at every edition.
- While they have never gotten past the last 16 – even as cohosts in 2002 – their current crop of players is surely the most talented in the national side’s history.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Japan have beaten Germany, Brazil, England and Spain since 2022, but may struggle to sustain a genuine title push.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Japan's Takefusa Kubo celebrates scoring against Indonesia [File: Issei Kato/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 22 May 202622 May 2026Previous World Cup appearances: 7 Best performance: Last 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022) First appearance: 1998 (France) Top goal scorer: Keisuke Honda (4) Most appearances: Yuto Nagatomo (15) Player to watch: Takefusa Kubo FIFA world ranking: 18th Fixtures: Netherlands (June 14, Dallas, US), Tunisia (June 20, Monterrey, Mexico), Sweden (June 25, Dallas, US)
Japan have been late bloomers in terms of World Cups, only reaching the tournament for the first time in 1998 – but since then they have been at every edition.