🇯🇵 Japan

Japan are the standard-bearers of Asian football. An AFC side, they enter the 2026 World Cup rated 1850 — 18th of the 48 teams — in Group F.

Regular qualifiers who have reached the Round of 16 several times and beaten major nations. Technical, disciplined and quick, with slick passing and a relentless work rate.

Drawn alongside Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia, their toughest group test on paper is the meeting with Netherlands. Our model projects them to finish 2nd in the group and to reach the Round of 32.