After a six-tournament cycle alternating between group-stage exits and last-16 heartbreak, Japan’s Samurai Blue will head into the 2022 FIFA World Cup aiming to achieve a breakthrough and reach the quarterfinals — or perhaps even further — for the first time.
In order to do so, head coach Hajime Moriyasu’s 26-man squad — most of whom are untested on this stage — will first have to navigate past a group containing two former world champions in Germany and Spain as well as a tricky Costa Rica, representing as big a challenge as Japan has ever faced at the event since it made its debut at France 1998.
This tournament, held in November and December in order to avoid the dangerously hot summer climate of host Qatar, comes at a crucial turning point for Japanese soccer, even as its stock continues to rise globally.