"There is no tension in Asia anymore. The Japanese national team needs to fight the world, not Asia," Japanese media Soccer Digest reported on the 4th (Korea time).
"Japanese players have normalized their entry into European leagues. In this era, a whopping 100 players are playing overseas including 16 in the first division of Belgium, nine in the Bundesliga and eight in England. Compared to European or South American teams, not many teams have higher capabilities than Japan," he added.스포츠토토
Japan was in Group C at the third preliminary round for the Asian region for the 2026 North-China World Cup. It encountered Australia and Saudi Arabia, which are considered the strongest teams in Asia, and also had Indonesia led by Coach Shin Tae-yong. However, Japan has nothing to be afraid of. Objectively, Japan has shown the best performance in Asia. It seems that it will win the World Cup ticket without any problems.
He has been proven to some extent in the global arena. He lost to Iran in the quarterfinals at the Asian Cup that took place earlier this year, but made good results at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Japan ranked No. 1 in the group by defeating Spain and Germany in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Although it lost to Croatia in the round of 16, it proved its competitiveness in the world stage as well.
At the A-match in September, Japan showed off its powerful firepower. Japan's first opponent was China. It was overwhelming, literally. Japan won 7-0 against China. Japan also won against Bahrain by a large margin. Japan beat Bahrain 5-0. It clearly announced why Japan is not particularly nervous at the Asian level.
Japan will meet Australia and Saudi Arabia in October. Australia and Saudi Arabia have not always been easy teams in Asia. However, the mood is not so good these days. Australia and Saudi Arabia have shown unsatisfactory performances. Australia recently said goodbye to Graham Arnold and appointed David Wagner to make changes. Given their performance in the Asian regional qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S., chances are high that the A-match will end with an overwhelming victory for Japan.
Meanwhile, unlike Japan, Korea has been mired in chaotic mood. The team advanced to the round of 16 teams at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but has been on a downward spiral since then. When the team appointed Jurgen Klinsmann last year, the team's system collapsed, and the team was also eliminated from the semifinals by lethargy at the Asian Cup. Klinsmann was replaced, and Hong Myung-bo came as the new head coach. However, the team is in a noisy situation outside of the game due to the appointment process surrounding Hong. I just envy Japan, which is on a roll.