The FIFA ワールドカップ (wārudo kappu, World Cup) kicked off June 11 in Mexico, with the United States and Canada as co-hosts. Until it concludes on July 19, we’re likely to see the Japanese abbreviation “W杯” in news headlines quite often. W杯 can be read as “daburyu hai” — with the kanji 杯 (hai, cup) symbolizing a trophy cup — though the abbreviation is usually pronounced ワールドカップ.
For this year’s W杯, 48 teams will compete in 12 groups to advance to the knockout stage. Japan’s Group F may not qualify as a typical “死の組” (shi no kumi, Group of Death), but the team will still face formidable opponents? in ?the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.
Before departing for North America, Japan’s head coach Hajime Moriyasu spoke to the media and fans at Narita Airport, 「」 (Issen issen, shōri o mezashite tatakau, We will fight for victory game by game) and 「」 (Kyōtō, ōen o onegai shimasu, Stand with us and support us).
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.