Group E: Japan Full Of Great Expectations

The Samourai Blue are not new in the World Cup.  Japan qualified for the tournament for the first time in 1988. Japan will be appearing in the competition for the seventh consecutive time. Japan are 24th on FIFA World Rankings of August 2022. Japan are placed in Group E along with Germany, Spain and Costa Rica. The Japanese have never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup but the head coach Hajime Moriyasu is targeting the quarter-finals in Qatar. Japan has reached the Round of 16 three times, first as co-host with Korea Republic in 2002, at South Africa 2010 and Russia 2018. As part of preparations for the Qatar World Cup, the Samourai Blue have played several friendly matches. 
Prior to the kick off of the World Cup, the Samourai Blue will play another friendly match against Canada on Thursday November 17, 2022 at the Al-Maktoum stadium, the UAE. Japan equally played against the USA on September 23, 2022 in Dusseldorf in Germany. Japan is among the first teams to announce their squads for the World Cup. On November 1, the Japan Football Association announced the final 26 players of the Japanese men’s national soccer team who will compete at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 
Reports say Coach Hajime Moriyasu has left Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi and Vissel Kobe forward Yuya Osako out of ...