Well, Japan will be participating in their seventh straight World Cup. They've been placed in ... waving their flags or their towels or their scarves … it's been a very different atmosphere ...

Japan might have failed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the World Cup – falling in the round-of-16 as it did in 2002, 2010, 2018 – but the likes of Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito, Wataru Endo and ...

The victory had secured Japan’s berth at the 2026 World Cup with three qualifiers to spare, and the postgame festivities had left the Samurai Blue coach sounding far throatier than usual.