Japan's World Cup team enters 2026 tournament with genuine title hopes after steady improvement over the past 3½ years under coach Hajime Moriyasu.

What happened

Japan's 2026 World Cup campaign begins on Sunday. The team has progressed to the round of 16 in each of the past two tournaments (2018 and 2022) and has improved at a steady rate over the past 3½ years under Moriyasu, who was also in charge in Qatar and part of the coaching staff in Russia.

Why it matters

For the first time since 2014, big things are expected from the Samurai Blue. In 2014, a highly rated group ultimately failed to live up to its billing and suffered elimination in the group stage in Brazil. The team faced skepticism before 2018 and 2022 due to a last-minute managerial change and an intimidating draw, respectively—so sustained improvement under the same coach marks a shift in momentum.

What to watch

The team's ability to advance beyond the round of 16 for the first time since 2002, having now established a platform of consistent progression over two recent tournaments.