Asia / Pacific
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Cover image: FOCUS © FRANCE 24
Issued on: 15/06/2026 – 10:47Modified: 15/06/2026 – 10:48
06:00 min
From the show
Reading time
1 min
On Sunday, Japan sealed a 2-2 draw against the higher-ranked Netherlands in their 2026 World Cup opener. Since qualifying for its first World Cup in 1998, Japan has reached every edition of the tournament and now sits 18th in the FIFA rankings. FRANCE 24’s Adam Hancock, Alexis Bregere and Ayana Nishikawa travelled across Japan to uncover the secrets behind the remarkable rise of Japanese football.