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.