00:03The 2026 World Cup will be Japan's 8th consecutive appearance on football's greatest stage.
00:11And with a thriving domestic competition and leading players starring abroad,
00:16there is no reason the Samurai Blue should not expect to make their mark in North America.
00:23Here in Japan, where I think the amount of talented footballers they have is unbelievable,
00:28I think they can be a world power very, very quickly and if they believe in asserting themselves on the
00:35football field,
00:35I think they can't be stopped.
00:39In early 2025, Japan became the first country to qualify for the World Cup,
00:44reflecting an impressive football culture that has come a long way in a short space of time.
00:51The game was underdeveloped until the late 20th century,
00:54but since the formation of the J-League in 1992, football has blossomed.
01:02Crucially, this growth has been strategic in its planning and expert in its execution.
01:08For example, the J-League was intentionally modelled on Germany's Bundesliga
01:12and was accompanied by a 100-year vision.
01:15There is a Japanese national football philosophy,
01:18aligning the game from top to bottom, with a goal of winning the World Cup by 2050.
01:27Japan first qualified for the World Cup in 1998, but they have yet to pass the round of 16,
01:33with progress stymied due to a lack of goals and a couple of narrow penalty shootout defeats.
01:38The most recent of those came in Qatar, but not after Japan had taken giant strides in the group stage
01:44by defeating both Germany and Spain 2-1.
01:51And qualification for the 2026 World Cup suggests confidence should be sky-high for further progress.
01:58A difficult AFC group was navigated with ease, with passage secured with three games to spare.
02:04And after the concession of just two goals in eight matches.
02:11Hajime Moriasu has been in the dugout since 2018 and passed 90 games in charge
02:17with a mightily impressive 70% win rate.
02:22Despite his impressive record, Moriasu has faced criticism for his conservative tactics,
02:28something he appeared to take on board during World Cup qualifying,
02:32shifting to an adventurous 3-4-2-1 formation in a bid to fit as many creative players as possible
02:39into his starting eleven.
02:43Moriasu has recognized that his side can dominate possession and tempo against regional opponents by virtue of talent alone.
02:51But against tougher sides from Europe and South America, greater versatility will be required,
02:56with an increased emphasis on fast transitional attacks and counter-pressing from the front.
03:04Here are the players who will be calling upon to make history.
03:12In one of Japan's weakest positions, Moriasu is still struggling to fill the gloves of long-standing custodian Eiji Kawashima.
03:21Shuichi Gonda has come and gone, and Daniel Schmidt did not pass his audition,
03:26leaving Zion Suzuki the front-runner.
03:29Born in New Jersey to a Ghanaian mother and Japanese father, Suzuki is a regular for Parma in Syria.
03:39The Belgian-based Kirky Machida has established himself on the left of the back three,
03:44with Ke Itakura, one of Japan's stars from Qatar 2022, occupying the right berth.
03:51Shiger Taniguchi has been trusted with the central role.
03:56But there is still the possibility the likes of Ayumi Seker or Hiroki Ito could force their way into the
04:03team.
04:05The most exciting aspect of Moriasu's 3-4-2-1 system is the application of dashing wingers as wingbacks.
04:12On the right, Ritsu Doan, and on the left, Kaoru Mitama.
04:20Since 2022, Mitama has starred for Brighton & Hove Albion,
04:24twice winning the Premier League's Goal of the Month award for spectacular efforts cutting in from the left.
04:32Japan's midfield is built around captain Wataru Endo and his partnership with Hiramasa Morita.
04:41Endo's ability to break up play and win back possession for Stuttgart earned him a move to Liverpool,
04:47where he contributed to the club's record-equalling 20th Premier League title in 2025.
04:55With the wingbacks doing as their name suggests, and the dual pivot in midfield offering security,
05:01the three-man attack is designed to unlock defences in central areas.
05:09Moriasu operates with two creative forwards behind the central striker,
05:13with one of those positions being given to Takumi Minamino, the squad's leading scorer.
05:17Once the bright young thing of Japanese football, Minamino is now in his 30s and an established top-level performer.
05:28Japan's progress in North America will rest heavily on Minamino's ability to find those all-important knockout stage goals.
05:37Easing that burden alongside him will be either Daichi Kamada or Takafusa Kubo.
05:43Born in 2001 and nicknamed the Japanese Messi for his stature and close control,
05:49Kuba honed his craft at Barcelona's La Masia Academy and gained experience on loan at a number of La Liga
05:55clubs
05:56before establishing himself at Real Sociedad.
06:02Leading the line will be an Eredivisie centre forward, either Koki Ogawa or Ayasa Ueda.
06:09But neither are renowned goalscorers, suggesting Japan's major tournament Achilles heel may continue to hurt them.
06:18But unlike previous tournaments, where Japan might have been happy to make up the numbers or battle through the group
06:24phase,
06:25this cohort is pushing for more.
06:28And Coach Moriasu has put the work in to find creative solutions to predictable problems.
06:35The Samurai Blue are heading to North America to win.
06:41We really wanted to win the World Cup, so that's our goal.
06:45So, yeah, I think everyone is thinking, like, just keep going.
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