After celebrating qualification for an eighth consecutive World Cup finals with beaming smiles and high fives, Japan shifted focus towards becoming the first Asian side to win football’s most coveted trophy.
A 2-0 win over Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on Thursday saw Japan become the first nation to book their place at the 2026 finals alongside co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Despite being drawn in arguably the toughest of Asia’s three groups in the third phase of qualifying, alongside fellow World Cup regulars Saudi Arabia and Australia, Japan have coasted through their fixtures with six wins and a draw so far.
The performances of Hajime Moriyasu’s side, who still have three group matches to play, have underlined how far the current generation of largely overseas-based players are ahead of the rest of the region.
For Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, just getting to the finals is no longer enough.
“As I said upon being appointed the new captain, our present target has been to win the World Cup,“ said Endo after qualification was confirmed.
“We have players who naturally target winning the World Cup, who think getting a win or making the finals is merely a start. I’m the same.”
South Korea’s run to the semi-finals on home soil in 2002 stands as the best performance by an Asian side at the World Cup while Japan have been unable to get past the Round of 16 in four trips to the knockout rounds.
Their qualification run began in 1998 with their debut in France, though they only scraped into the finals via a playoff win over Iran.
The launch of the domestic J-League in 1993 brought professionalism to the country in a blaze of razzmatazz and high-profile foreign signings, and also planted the seeds of success through a long-term development plan.
The co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup with South Koreans saw the programme begin to bear fruit with a place in the last 16 for the first time, a feat Japan matched in 2010, 2018 and 2022.
However, the expectations are now higher.
Japan notched impressive victories over 2010 champions Spain and 2014 winners Germany in the group phase three years ago in Qatar but their limp exit via a penalty shoot-out against Croatia in the last 16 was met with a great deal of frustration.
Expectations are even higher now with a squad boasting an increasing number of Europe-based players.
In addition to Endo, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Bayern Munich’s Hiroki Ito and Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton & Hove Albion all feature at clubs in the game’s top leagues while the J-League is widely viewed as one of the sport’s leading development set-ups.
Winning the World Cup is a lofty aim but with Japanese football continuing to flourish it is the next logical target for the Samurai Blue.
