Teams · Group F
Japan
Samurai Blue
Japan have become one of Asia's elite, stunning Germany and Spain to top their group in 2022. A technical, well-coached side packed with players at major European clubs, they are pushing for a first quarterfinal.
Japan’s group path
Japan starts in Group F with Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia. They enter the group as the #2 team by MatchupSim power rating, which makes the finishing position especially important: first place, second place and a possible third-place route can each send them into a very different round-of-32 matchup.
Key facts
- Confederation
- Asia (AFC)
- Group
- Group F · power-ranked #2 of 4
- World Cup titles
- 0
- Best finish
- Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
- Qualified via
- AFC qualifying
- Power rating (PWR)
- 80 · Elo 1840
- Manager
- Hajime Moriyasu
Players to watch
- Takefusa Kubo — Forward (Real Sociedad)
- Wataru Endo — Captain, midfield (Liverpool)
- Hiroki Ito — Defender (Bayern Munich)
Group F opponents
Group-stage fixtures
- Sun, Jun 14
NetherlandsDallas, USA - Sun, Jun 21
TunisiaMonterrey, Mexico - Thu, Jun 25
SwedenDallas, USA
2026 outlook
With genuine ambition to break their round-of-16 ceiling, Japan are dark horses capable of upsetting anyone in Group F.
Prediction angles to test
Start with a favorites run, then test one aggressive version where Japan wins Group F and one conservative version where they finish lower in the table. Comparing those paths shows whether their best chance comes from group control, a softer runner-up route, or surviving as one of the best third-place teams.
Simulate Japan’s World Cup
Think Japan can go all the way — or crash out early? Set their Group F finish in the simulator and watch the bracket re-wire around your call, or build a full prediction all the way to the final.