Japan aiming to live up to heightened expectations with deep run at World Cup (opens original article in a new tab)

Japan's 2026 World Cup campaign starts with increased expectations following recent improvements and previous underperformance, with the team aiming for a deeper run than in past tournaments.

• Japan's 2026 World Cup campaign begins with high expectations after previous underperformance
• The team has shown steady improvement over the past 3.5 years under coach Hajime Moriyasu
• Japan reached the round of 16 in the last two World Cups