Japan
Japan is a national team from Asia (AFC).
Japan have played at the World Cup 8 times (first in 1998, most recently in 2026). Best result: round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022). Record at the finals: 29 matches, 8 wins, 8 draws, 13 defeats, goals 33–38. Top scorer: Keisuke Honda (4 goals).
The squad pool on this page lists 25 players, built from recent competitive line-ups. Most appearances in that window: Ritsu Doan (16); most goals: Ayase Ueda (10).
Coach in the latest data: H. Moriyasu.
- Champions
- 0
- World Cups played
- 8
- Confederation
- AFC
Every World Cup appearance
| Edition | Result |
|---|---|
| World Cup 1998 | Group stage |
| World Cup 2002 | Round of 16 |
| World Cup 2006 | Group stage |
| World Cup 2010 | Round of 16 |
| World Cup 2014 | Group stage |
| World Cup 2018 | Round of 16 |
| World Cup 2022 | Round of 16 |
| World Cup 2026 | Round of 32 |
Top scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Keisuke Honda | 4 |
| Ayase Ueda | 2 |
| Daichi Kamada | 2 |
| Daizen Maeda | 2 |
| Junichi Inamoto | 2 |
| Ritsu Dōan | 2 |
| Shinji Okazaki | 2 |
| Takashi Inui | 2 |
| Ao Tanaka | 1 |
| Genki Haraguchi | 1 |
Upcoming matches
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 14 November 2026 | Japan vs Brazil | Friendlies |
| 17 November 2026 | Japan vs Paraguay | Friendlies |
Predict these matches in the free score game
Squad
| Player | Pos | Apps | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Suzuki | GK | 14 | 1,263 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Keisuke Osako | GK | 3 | 247 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kosei Tani | GK | 2 | 104 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Ko Itakura | DEF | 13 | 1,020 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Koki Machida | DEF | 11 | 872 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Hiroki Itō | DEF | 10 | 858 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Shogo Taniguchi | DEF | 11 | 836 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Yukinari Sugawara | DEF | 9 | 464 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Ayumu Seko | DEF | 6 | 401 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | DEF | 5 | 350 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kota Takai | DEF | 4 | 219 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Ritsu Doan | MID | 16 | 1,008 | 3 | 4 | — |
| Daichi Kamada | MID | 16 | 989 | 7 | 1 | — |
| Wataru Endo | MID | 11 | 862 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Ao Tanaka | MID | 12 | 789 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Hidemasa Morita | MID | 10 | 742 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Keito Nakamura | MID | 14 | 732 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Takumi Minamino | MID | 12 | 710 | 4 | 2 | — |
| Kaoru Mitoma | MID | 7 | 477 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Kaishu Sano | MID | 6 | 469 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Ayase Ueda | FWD | 13 | 1,016 | 10 | 3 | — |
| Takefusa Kubo | FWD | 12 | 739 | 4 | 9 | — |
| Junya Ito | FWD | 13 | 613 | 2 | 10 | — |
| Daizen Maeda | FWD | 10 | 548 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Koki Ogawa | FWD | 11 | 359 | 6 | 2 | — |
Latest starting line-up
Formation: 3-4-2-1 · Coach: H. Moriyasu · 5 October 2026 · New Zealand 2–1
| # | Player | Pos | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Z. Suzuki | GK | 6.1 |
| 3 | A. Seko | DEF | 7.2 |
| 25 | J. Suzuki | DEF | 7.0 |
| 21 | H. Ito | DEF | 6.8 |
| 2 | S. Nakano | MID | 7.0 |
| 24 | K. Sano | MID | 6.9 |
| 15 | D. Kamada | MID | 6.6 |
| 10 | R. Dōan | MID | 8.2 |
| 20 | T. Kubo | MID | 6.7 |
| 11 | D. Maeda | MID | 6.3 |
| 18 | A. Ueda | FWD | 7.8 |
Legends and former regulars
| Player | Caps | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Yasuhito Endō | 152 | 2002–2015 |
| Masami Ihara | 122 | 1988–1999 |
| Shinji Okazaki | 119 | 2008–2019 |
| Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi | 116 | 1997–2008 |
| Makoto Hasebe | 114 | 2006–2018 |
| Yuji Nakazawa | 110 | 1999–2010 |
| Keisuke Honda | — | 2010–2018 |
| Takashi Inui | — | 2018–2018 |
| Junichi Inamoto | — | 2002–2002 |
| Genki Haraguchi | — | 2018–2018 |
| Shinji Kagawa | — | 2018–2018 |
| Yuya Osako | — | 2018–2018 |
Match reports on this site
| Date | Match | Competition | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 June 2026 | Brazil 2–1 Japan | World Cup 2026 | Round of 32 |
| 25 June 2026 | Japan 1–1 Sweden | World Cup 2026 | Group stage · Group F |
| 20 June 2026 | Tunisia 0–4 Japan | World Cup 2026 | Group stage · Group F |
| 14 June 2026 | Netherlands 2–2 Japan | World Cup 2026 | Group stage · Group F |
| 5 December 2022 | Japan 1–1 (pens 1–3) Croatia | World Cup 2022 | Round of 16 |
| 1 December 2022 | Japan 2–1 Spain | World Cup 2022 | Group stage · Group E |
| 27 November 2022 | Japan 0–1 Costa Rica | World Cup 2022 | Group stage · Group E |
| 23 November 2022 | Germany 1–2 Japan | World Cup 2022 | Group stage · Group E |
| 2 July 2018 | Belgium 3–2 Japan | World Cup 2018 | Round of 16 |
| 28 June 2018 | Japan 0–1 Poland | World Cup 2018 | Group stage · Group H |
| 24 June 2018 | Japan 2–2 Senegal | World Cup 2018 | Group stage · Group H |
| 19 June 2018 | Colombia 1–2 Japan | World Cup 2018 | Group stage · Group H |
| 24 June 2014 | Japan 1–4 Colombia | World Cup 2014 | Group stage · Group C |
| 19 June 2014 | Japan 0–0 Greece | World Cup 2014 | Group stage · Group C |
| 14 June 2014 | Côte d'Ivoire 2–1 Japan | World Cup 2014 | Group stage · Group C |
| 29 June 2010 | Paraguay 0–0 (pens 5–3) Japan | World Cup 2010 | Round of 16 |
| 24 June 2010 | Denmark 1–3 Japan | World Cup 2010 | Group stage · Group E |
| 19 June 2010 | Netherlands 1–0 Japan | World Cup 2010 | Group stage · Group E |
| 14 June 2010 | Japan 1–0 Cameroon | World Cup 2010 | Group stage · Group E |
| 22 June 2006 | Japan 1–4 Brazil | World Cup 2006 | Group stage · Group F |
| 18 June 2006 | Japan 0–0 Croatia | World Cup 2006 | Group stage · Group F |
| 12 June 2006 | Australia 3–1 Japan | World Cup 2006 | Group stage · Group F |
| 18 June 2002 | Japan 0–1 Türkiye | World Cup 2002 | Round of 16 |
| 14 June 2002 | Tunisia 0–2 Japan | World Cup 2002 | Group stage · Group H |
| 9 June 2002 | Japan 1–0 Russia | World Cup 2002 | Group stage · Group H |
| 4 June 2002 | Japan 2–2 Belgium | World Cup 2002 | Group stage · Group H |
| 26 June 1998 | Japan 1–2 Jamaica | World Cup 1998 | Group stage · Group H |
| 20 June 1998 | Japan 0–1 Croatia | World Cup 1998 | Group stage · Group H |
| 14 June 1998 | Argentina 1–0 Japan | World Cup 1998 | Group stage · Group H |