Japan has had an up and down international warm-up campaign, starting with a strong 4-1 win over Paraguay, followed by a narrow 0-1 loss to Brazil in a marquee match, then a 4-1 thrashing of Ghana, only to suffer a recent 0-3 defeat at the hands of Tunisia.
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Japan was unlucky to be placed in a highly competitive Group E, which included two former
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Champions - Spain and Germany, and the one who just won the last place
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Tickets for Costa Rica. To get out of the group stage, Japan will have to overcome the immense pressure of trying to beat Spain or Germany, the difficulty of which cannot be overstated.
Since 1998
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Since then, the Japanese team has been
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The record shows a certain regularity, either failing to get out of the group or stopping in the round of 16. The last
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Stopping in the round of 16 seems like a pattern that should see the current edition face a fate of not making it out of the group, but it remains to be seen if that pattern will be broken.
The road to hosting is not easy
Historically, the hosts in
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in may not be able to make it out of the group. With the 2010
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of hosts South Africa, for example, ended up only third in the group despite beating France 2-1 in the final round of the group stage. This year's
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Qatar, the host of the tournament, faces an equally competitive Group A, with traditional powerhouses such as the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.
Qatar is not required to participate
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qualifiers, its performances in international competitions in recent years have been enigmatic. Three years ago in the Asian Cup final, Qatar to 3-1 victory over Japan, the front line stars Ali and Afif scored goals. Ali won the Golden Boot with 9 goals, setting a record for goals in the Asian Cup; Afif became the king of assists with 10 assists, setting a new record for assists in the Asian Cup.
Compared to the Japanese and South Korean teams, most of the Qatari internationals play in their domestic leagues and are relatively inexperienced in terms of vision and game experience. Qatar's grouping in this World Cup is similar to Japan's last edition, with opponents including European teams, African powerhouse Senegal and South American powerhouses. Whether Qatar can fully utilize their home field advantage will be the key to qualifying for the tournament.
Prospects for the other three teams are worrisome
Australia performed well in the World Cup qualifying play-offs, knocking out Peru on penalties, but against formidable opposition in France, Denmark and Tunisia, Australia's prospects in the group stage are not promising.
France, despite their poor performance in the UEFA Nations League, remain strong overall with star players such as Mbappe and Benzema. Denmark have improved significantly in recent years, having reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League and beating France away from home in the UEFA Nations League. Tunisia, who recently beat Japan 3-0, are also an opponent not to be underestimated.
Iran, the highest ranked team in Asia, is in a group that includes England, the United States and Wales. England is a strong team, having reached the quarterfinals of the last World Cup and the final of the European Cup last year. The United States, a traditional powerhouse in North and Central America, won the North and Central America and Caribbean Gold Cup last year. Wales, which reached the quarterfinals of Euro 2016, boasts stars of the tournament such as Gareth Bale.
Saudi Arabia's grouping for this World Cup is equally grim, with the possibility of the Saudis contending for qualification almost nil against strong teams such as Argentina, Poland and Mexico.
