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Rugby
Sep 1, 2019

A guide to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and its host cities

What to do, see, drink and eat in each of the RWC cities as well as match dates and information on stadiums, transport and accommodation.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 15, 2023

FIFA approves 2026 World Cup format with record 104 matches

The new format will also stick to drawing four teams in a group after a proposal for 16 groups of three was shot down over fears of collusion in the final group game.
Rugby
Nov 2, 2017

Rugby World Cup schedule unveiled in Tokyo

Japan will play the winner of the European qualifying competition in the opening game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup at Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium on Sept. 20, as organizers announced the full tournament schedule on Thursday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 10, 2019

Rugby World Cup cancels two Saturday games as powerful Typhoon Hagibis takes aim at Japan

Rugby World Cup organizers announced Thursday that two crucial pool games scheduled to take place on Saturday have been canceled to avoid the impact of a massive super typhoon set to hit the country.
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 22, 2018

Gareth Southgate faces difficult decisions to select England lineup for World Cup

As the countdown to Russia 2018 begins, England head coach Gareth Southgate does not so much have a selection headache as a full-blown migraine. The fact is that too many England players either aren't playing or aren't playing well.
Rugby
Sep 5, 2020

Can Japan make the most of its Rugby World Cup legacy?

One year after the global tournament kicked off, the impact of COVID-19 is hampering efforts to build on the hugely successful event.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 17, 2018

World Cup views from Tokyo, Group E/F: Brazil, Serbia and Germany

Japan-based supporters of Group E and F teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Rugby
May 10, 2017

Japan coach Joseph ready to hit ground running in preparation for 2019 Rugby World Cup

Japan rugby head coach Jamie Joseph is keen to get a first-hand look at his 2019 Rugby World Cup rivals when the Brave Blossoms play Ireland in two test matches in June.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 17, 2016

FIFA boss backs bigger World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday claimed there are "no down sides" to expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and "no taboos" in discussing changes to soccer's flagship competition.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 15, 2022

FIFA heads back to drawing board to find format for 2026 World Cup

Having just delivered the most exciting group stage ever seen at a World Cup, with a tried and tested format that keeps hundreds of millions of fans enthralled, FIFA now faces the prospect of ripping it all up.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 8, 2022

World Cup attendance lower than Qatar's expectations

A huge surge in visitors is unlikely at this stage, with only eight teams remaining in Doha and eight matches left.
Japan Times
Rugby
Feb 23, 2021

Rugby World Cup teams to get longer rests and bigger squads

The 2023 Rugby World Cup in France will have increased rest periods for all teams as part of a new player welfare package announced on Monday by the Rugby World Cup Board, the World Rugby executive committee and tournament organizers.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2018

Businesses cash in as Japan follows World Cup kick by kick

Although the overall impact is difficult to measure, some predict that it has already increased consumption on a scale of billions of yen.
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2014

Japan's English flavors the Cup

Yuichi Nishimura, the Japanese referee who made a controversial call in the opening match of the World Cup, should at least be commended for doing what few other Japanese dare to do.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jul 5, 2023

Shortened Rugby Championship provides World Cup litmus test

South Africa hosts Australia in Pretoria and New Zealand travels to Mendoza to meet Argentina in the opening fixtures on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 14, 2021

Iranians question decision to host World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain

Iran head coach Dragan Skocic and Mehdi Taremi, one of the nation's highest-profile players, have questioned the decision to hold the country's World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain when play resumes in June.
Rugby
Aug 31, 2019

Home advantage: World Cup puts Japanese rugby back in the spotlight

The date is June 4, 1995, and the Japan national rugby team is facing New Zealand's mighty All Blacks in its final pool game at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Japan, which has already been eliminated from the tournament going into the match at Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium, has conceded an...
Japan's Ayase Ueda (left) and Australia's Patrick Yazbek compete for the ball during World Cup qualifying action on Tuesday in Saitama.
SOCCER
Oct 16, 2024

Japan fights back to secure draw with Australia in World Cup qualifying

Australia had never beaten Japan on Japanese soil but a Shogo Taniguchi own goal gave the home side a shock before Samurai Blue earned a draw.
The Club World Cup trophy is displayed before a Bundesliga match in Dortmund, Germany, on April 30.
SOCCER
Jun 12, 2025

Expanded Club World Cup set to have far-reaching impact on global soccer

The 32-team tournament, with $1 billion dollars in prize money on offer, has been crammed into an already overloaded schedule
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
Namibia's players acknowledge the crowd after their 96-0 defeat to France at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 26, 2023

Uruguay and Namibia braced for their Rugby World Cup 'final'

The two sides have met five times before with Uruguay winning four of those, including a World Cup warmup in August.
Bristol Bears and U.S. star Ilona Maher during the warmup before a match against Gloucester-Hartpury in Gloucester, England on March 2
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 22, 2025

England names strong side for Women's Rugby World Cup opener against U.S.

The Red Roses have lost only once in their past 58 matches — a defeat by New Zealand in the COVID-delayed 2022 World Cup final.
South Africa's Siya Kolisi takes selfies with fans after a practice session in Corsica on Aug. 29.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 1, 2023

Springbok icon Siya Kolisi defies odds to return in time for World Cup

Siya Kolisi rose from a hungry and impoverished childhood to become 'an international rugby icon.'

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’