Japan has had an up and down warm-up campaign, first sweeping Paraguay 4-1, followed by a 0-1 defeat to Brazil, then thumping Ghana 4-1, but most recently losing 0-3 to Tunisia in a rollercoaster of a campaign.
current session
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Japan faces a tough group situation in Group E, which includes two former
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Champions Spain and Germany, as well as Costa Rica, who just earned their ticket. To get out of the group, Japan will need to beat at least one of Spain and Germany, a challenge that will undoubtedly be huge.
Since 1998
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Since then, Japan's
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The results show a certain regularity, alternating between failing to get out of the group and stopping in the round of 16. Previous
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Stopping at the round of 16, this year may see the group not make it out of the tournament, and it is intriguing to see if such a pattern can be broken.
Bumpy road for the hosts
The hosts are in
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May not be an easy out, as in 2010
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of host South Africa, which ended up in third place in the group despite a 2-1 comeback against France in the final round of the group stage. This year's
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The hosts, Qatar, are in a tough situation against traditional Group A opponents including the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.
Qatar is not required to participate
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The qualifiers, in recent years, have been enigmatic in their international performances. Three years ago in the Asian Cup final to beat Japan 3-1, the front line double star Ali and Afif each built one. Ali won the Golden Boot award with 9 goals, breaking the Asian Cup scoring record; Afif won the assist king with 10 assists, creating a new record for assists in the Asian Cup.
While Japan and South Korea have numerous internationals playing in European leagues, Qatar's internationals are all in their home leagues and are relatively inexperienced in terms of vision and experience. Qatar is in the current
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The grouping is similar to Japan's last edition, with opponents including European teams, African powerhouse Senegal and South American powerhouses. Whether Qatar can fully utilize its home field advantage will be the key to its advancement.
The prospects for the other three teams are worrisome
Australia knocked out Peru on penalties in the qualifying play-offs, but this year's
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The grouping is tough, with France, Denmark and Tunisia in the same group. Despite their poor performance in the UEFA Nations League, France is still a strong team with stars such as Mbappe and Benzema.
