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 begins with high expectations after recent improvements under coach Hajime Moriyasu, following previous group stage exits in 2014 and cautious optimism in 2018 and 2022.

• Japan's World Cup campaign starts with heightened expectations after recent progress.
• The team failed to meet expectations in 2014, with cautious optimism in 2018 and 2022.
• Coach Hajime Moriyasu has led steady improvement over the past 3.5 years.