The story
Let's start with the fact that feels like folklore: at Qatar 2022, Japan walked into a group containing Germany and Spain — two of the most decorated nations in football history — and beat them both. Not scraped past them. Beat them. The Samurai Blue came from behind in both games, conjuring second-half transformations that left the footballing world rubbing its eyes. They were, for a fortnight, the most thrilling team on the planet.
And then, of course, Croatia. A penalty shootout. Heartbreak so clean it almost felt scripted. Japan have now reached the Round of 16 at four separate World Cups, and each time the door to the quarterfinals has stayed stubbornly, maddeningly shut. That tension — the promise, the ceiling, the what-if — is the central drama of Japanese football. They are no longer underdogs. They are a side that genuinely believes it can go further, and that belief is not delusion.
By 2026, this squad will be battle-hardened and brimming with European-based talent. Takefusa Kubo dazzles for Real Sociedad, Kaoru Mitoma terrorises Premier League fullbacks at Brighton, and Wataru Endō anchors Liverpool's midfield with a quiet, unshakeable authority. Japan arrive in North America not hoping to cause upsets — they arrive expecting to survive them.
What to watch
Watch Japan's second halves — they have a freakish ability to reshape games after the break, switching systems and tempo in ways that have already broken German and Spanish hearts. If you tune in for any team's comeback arc this tournament, make it the Samurai Blue.
X-factor
Takefusa Kubo — a player with the low centre of gravity and improvised genius of a street footballer who somehow ended up at one of the world's great clubs, capable of conjuring a goal from nothing on the biggest stage.
Japan will be electric, dangerous, and at some point absolutely heartbreaking to watch — probably in that order.
Their fixtures
Haaland Held, Kubo Dazzles, Nobody Blinks
Erling Haaland finally got his World Cup moment, but Japan's electric wingers refused to let Norway run away with it. A 1-1 draw at Levi's Stadium that somehow felt like both teams won and lost at the same time.
Teenagers vs Tradition: Miami's Summer Blockbuster
Spain have a 18-year-old winger who makes defenders look like they're playing in flip-flops, and Japan are the team who knocked out Germany and Spain at the last World Cup. Yes, that Spain.