AFC Asian Qualifiers
Seeking an eighth consecutive appearance at the global showpiece, Japan will be boosted by their sterling second round campaign, with the East Asian side having won all six matches without conceding even once.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group B winners
2022 AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Second in Group B Third round
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: 7
Head Coach: Hajime Moriyasu (JPN)
Fun Fact: Japan's best achievement at the FIFA World Cup were Round of 16 appearances at the 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022 editions
Their second round campaign indicates it will be hard to deny Japan an eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance when the 2026 tournament takes place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu, however, has warned his players to not take their place for granted.
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu, however, has warned his players to not take their place for granted.
“We got the results (in the second round) by working hard to prepare, doing the things that we had to do," said Moriyasu.“But the final round will be a completely different level from the second round.
“It is important that we always give our best, but the players had a painful experience at the (AFC) Asian Cup (Qatar 2023™), so they know that we need to improve even more if we are to get through the final round and qualify for the World Cup.
“I don't feel the need to order the players in that respect, and I really appreciate how the players have been giving their best on their own initiative," added Moriyasu, who will be charting Japan's FIFA World Cup campaign for the second consecutive edition.
