Japan — the team Europe still underestimates, and always will

Japan have beaten Germany and Spain at a World Cup. The debate about whether they belong at this level should have ended then. It has not. This suits them perfectly.

Tactical Identity

Strength: Japan's pressing system is one of the most sophisticated in international football. They hunt in packs, force errors in dangerous areas, and transition with a speed that most opponents cannot live with in the first thirty minutes.

Weakness: When the press is broken. If a team can play through Japan's first line of pressure with quick combinations and calm under the press, the space behind the Japanese midfield opens up and they become vulnerable.

"Japan will cause one major upset. They always do. Whether they convert that into a knockout stage run depends on how much energy the upset costs them." — Viviana Reyes

Key Players

Takumi Minamino — Forward, clinical in tight spaces.

Wataru Endo — Midfielder, the defensive anchor who makes everything work.

Hiroki Sakai — Defender, reliable on the right side.

Viva's Verdict

"Japan are not a surprise any more. They are simply good. The surprise is that people are still surprised."

The Road Back

The talent pipeline in Japanese football is extraordinary. A generation of players developed at elite European clubs means Japan will be at every World Cup for the foreseeable future. Eventually the upset will become a quarter-final.