Japan
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Japan
FIFA #48JPN
How they play
Possession. Death by a thousand passes.
World ranking
#18
Confederation
AFC · Asia
How they play
Possession. Death by a thousand passes.
Signature moment
Qatar 2022 was Japan's villain-slaying era. They beat Germany and Spain in the group stage — two former World Cup champions — and the internet collectively lost its mind. Players cleaned their locker room and left a thank-you note before they left. They were eliminated on penalties, but they left with more respect than teams who made it further. That's the Japan brand: show up, shock everyone, bow graciously, go home. Then come back and do it again.
The ones to watch
- Shuichi GondaGKThe keeper who became a national hero by saving penalties against the teams Japan had no right to beat.
- Takehiro TomiyasuDEFCalm, composed, and quietly elite — the kind of defender who makes chaos look like a minor inconvenience.
- Wataru EndoMIDThe engine in the middle who does all the unglamorous work that makes everyone else look great.
- Takumi MinaminoMIDChampions League pedigree with a chip on his shoulder — he's been doubted everywhere and keeps proving people wrong.
- Kaoru MitomaFWDWrote his university thesis on dribbling technique and then went and became one of the most exciting wingers on the planet — yes, really.
One email the morning of their opener. Nothing else.
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