Japan are heading to their eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup after sealing qualification for FIFA World Cup 2026™ in record time.
The Samurai Blue were the first team to qualify after the three host nations, showing once again why they are one of Asia’s strongest football powers.
After defeating both Germany and Spain at Qatar 2022, Japan will arrive in North America with confidence and belief that they can finally go beyond the Round of 16.
Hajime Moriyasu has been Japan head coach since July 2018.
A former midfielder for Japan and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Moriyasu later became a successful coach, winning three J1 League titles with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
At Qatar 2022, he guided Japan to the Round of 16 and became the third Japanese coach to achieve that milestone.
Known for strong man-management and player development, Moriyasu has helped Japan stay competitive while building a new generation of talent.
Japan dominated their AFC qualification campaign from the very beginning.
In the second round, they won all six matches against Korea DPR, Syria and Myanmar, scoring 24 goals without conceding once.
They continued their strong form in the third round with victories over China PR, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
Japan secured qualification with three matches to spare, making it their fastest-ever qualification for a FIFA World Cup.
Japan have reached the Round of 16 on four occasions but have never advanced beyond that stage.
Their first knockout appearance came at the 2002 World Cup, which they co-hosted, before they were eliminated by Türkiye.
They reached the same stage again in 2010, 2018 and 2022, suffering heartbreak against Paraguay, Belgium and Croatia.
For Japan, FIFA World Cup 2026 represents another chance to finally break through into the quarter-finals.
Japan produced one of the most impressive group-stage campaigns at Qatar 2022.
They shocked Germany with a 2-1 comeback win in their opening match before later defeating Spain by the same scoreline.
Those results helped Japan finish top of a difficult group and advance to the Round of 16.
Against Croatia, the match ended 1-1 after extra time, but Japan were eliminated on penalties.
Japan made their FIFA World Cup debut at France 1998.
They were drawn into a tough group with Argentina, Croatia and Jamaica.
Although Japan lost all three matches, Masashi Nakayama made history by scoring the nation’s first-ever World Cup goal against Jamaica.
Keisuke Honda is Japan’s all-time leading scorer at the FIFA World Cup with four goals.
He scored at three consecutive tournaments, finding the net in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
His goals against Cameroon, Denmark, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal made him one of Japan’s most iconic World Cup players.
Yuto Nagatomo holds Japan’s World Cup appearance record with 15 matches.
He featured across the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments and became one of the Samurai Blue’s most reliable players on the left flank.
Still active, Nagatomo will aim to appear at a fifth consecutive World Cup in 2026.
Japan’s most famous World Cup moments came at Qatar 2022, when they defeated both Germany and Spain in the group stage.
Against Germany, second-half goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano completed a stunning comeback victory.
Against Spain, Japan again came from behind, with Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka scoring to secure top spot in the group.
Japan also made history at the 2002 World Cup by topping their group and reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
At South Africa 2010, victories over Cameroon and Denmark helped Japan qualify from the group stage on foreign soil for the first time.
The painful 2018 defeat to Belgium, known as the “Devastation of Rostov,” remains one of the most emotional moments in Japanese football history.
Japan’s biggest World Cup victories have both come by two-goal margins.
At the 2002 World Cup, they defeated Tunisia 2-0 to secure qualification for the knockout stage.
At South Africa 2010, they beat Denmark 3-1 with goals from Keisuke Honda, Yasuhito Endo and Shinji Okazaki.
With a strong squad, tactical maturity and growing World Cup experience, Japan enter FIFA World Cup 2026™ with serious ambition.
The Samurai Blue have reached the Round of 16 four times — now their mission is to finally go one step further.
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