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The Japan national football team is gearing up for the 2026 World Cup with renewed confidence, drawing on their impressive performances from the previous two editions.

Japan’s national team is said to be ready to reach new heights at the 2026 World Cup, having learned from the painful lessons of their experience in Qatar.

This sentiment was expressed by Japanese winger Takefusa Kubo.

Kubo believes that the Samurai Blue have completely transformed as a team.

As one of Asia’s most established football sides, Japan always carries high expectations into every World Cup campaign.

The 2026 World Cup will mark their eighth consecutive appearance in FIFA’s grandest football event.

This streak began with their debut at the 1998 World Cup.

For this World Cup cycle, Japan made history as the first non-host nation to secure qualification for the final round.

Hajime Moriyasu’s squad booked their ticket swiftly on 20 March 2025.

They displayed dominance throughout, emerging as champions of Group C in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

This strong run has filled Kubo with complete confidence in Japan’s current form.

“It was around the fourth or fifth match of the Asian qualifiers,” Kubo recalled in an interview with FIFA’s official website.

“We were already six points ahead, and that made me realise how good we’ve become.”

“I feel we are now much more confident.”

“It’s not just about the results, but also about how we play and how united we are as a team,” he added.

In the previous edition in Qatar, Japan stunned the football world by defeating two European giants — Germany and Spain.

Drawn into the so-called ‘Group of Death’, Group E, at the 2022 World Cup, Japan finished as group winners with six points.

However, their remarkable journey came to an end in the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Croatia in a penalty shootout.

Since then, Japan has yet to advance beyond the Round of 16, falling short of reaching the quarterfinals.

“That match really showed me how difficult it is to change history,” Kubo continued.

“Whether it was our intensity during the game or the small details we didn’t get right, we realised there was still something missing.”

“The record shows that we lost in a penalty shootout, but I think there were many things we could have done better in the 120 minutes before that,” concluded the Real Sociedad winger.

At the 2026 World Cup, Japan will compete in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Heading to North America, Japan carry strong momentum.

Wataru Endo and his teammates are unbeaten in their last seven friendly matches.

That run includes victories over Brazil (3-2), Ghana (2-0), Scotland (1-0), and England (1-0).