Japan

The Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Japan qualified top of Asian Group B with a record of six wins, two defeats and two draws to put them one point above Saudi Arabia. They got off to an inauspicious start, however, sensationally losing 2-1 at home to the United Arab Emirates. The Samurai Blue then found some form and suffered just one more defeat in their campaign, in the last game against Saudi Arabia when they had already secured qualification.

Stars

Japan boast a number of recognizable faces, not least in Keisuke Honda, who is notable first for his bright blonde hair and club career at Italian giants AC Milan. Russian fans will remember him as a former CSKA Moscow player. The 31-year-old was prolific in qualifying, bagging seven goals for his country.

The Japanese also boast a two-time German Bundesliga winner in Shinji Kagawa. That success brought him to the attention of Manchester United, where he had a less successful spell before returning to Dortmund.

One player who has enjoyed success in England is center forward Shinji Okazaki. After a stint in Germany, Okazaki transferred to Leicester City and became a firm fan favourite, helping guide the team to their fairytale Premier League success in 2015/16.

Coach

Former Yugoslavia striker Vahid Halilhodžić will lead Japan at Russia 2018, and has been at the helm since March 2015. He will be remembered by Russian fans as the coach of the Algerian team that progressed from the same group as Russia last time out at Brazil 2014. Under his supervision, Algeria went on to face Germany in the knockout stage, losing 2-1 in extra time.

Halilhodžić, 65, has had notable success in club football, leading PSG to the 2004 Coupe de France and also guiding Dinamo Zagreb to the 2011 Croatian Cup title. The Bosnian has also worked with Raja Casablanca in Morocco, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, and Turkey’s Trabzonspor.

Past Achievements

Japan made their World Cup Finals bow at France ‘98, but have not missed a single tournament since. The team’s best achievement to date was progressing to the last 16: in 2002 as co-hosts, and again in 2010.