Japan¡¯s 2026 World Cup campaign gets underway on Sunday, and for the first time since 2014, big things are expected from the Samurai Blue.
A highly rated group including Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Yuto Nagatomo ultimately failed to live up to its billing 12 years ago ¡ª suffering elimination in the group stage in Brazil ¡ª and optimism was then at a premium ahead of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in Russia and Qatar on account of a last-minute managerial change and an intimidating draw, respectively.
Progression to the round of 16 was achieved at each of the two most recent competitions, however, and the team¡¯s improvement has continued at a steady rate over the past 3? years under Hajime Moriyasu ¡ª who was also in charge in Qatar and part of the coaching staff in Russia.
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