Japan have become one of the most respected teams in world football.
They’ve beaten giants. They’ve pushed world champions to the limit. They’ve earned the respect of fans across the globe.
But when it comes to the knockout stage…
Something always seems to go wrong.
From Belgium’s incredible comeback in 2018, to the penalty shootout against Croatia in 2022, to Brazil’s stoppage-time winner in 2026, this video looks back at three unforgettable World Cup heartbreaks—and asks whether Japan can finally break the curse.
Do you think Japan will reach a World Cup quarter-final soon? Let me know in the comments.
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🇧🇷 BRAZIL — Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
Goalkeepers
Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Atalanta), Weverton (Grêmio)
Defenders
Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Flamengo), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Léo Pereira (Flamengo), Ibañez (Al-Ahli), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Éderson Silva (Atalanta)
Midfielders
Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Man United), Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Danilo Santos (Botafogo)
Forwards
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), Neymar Jr (Santos), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Matheus Cunha (Man United), Endrick (Lyon), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Rayan (Bournemouth), Luiz Henrique (Zenit)
🇯🇵 JAPAN — Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Goalkeepers
Zion Suzuki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Defenders
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Junnosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo)
Midfielders
Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Junya Ito (Genk), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen)
Forwards
Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Shūto Machino (replaced injured Wataru Endo)
Note: Wataru Endo (Liverpool) was named captain but withdrew injured on the first day of the tournament and was replaced by Machino.
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