In the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, the Indonesian national team temporarily ranked 5th in Group C with 3 points. Japan has a great chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup when it is still at the top of the group with 10 points.
In theory, the Japanese team still surpasses Indonesia with its squad depth and past achievements. They have a series of incredible statistics on the way to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The Indonesian team had to make a lot of effort to get points against their opponent.
Here are 4 factors that make the Japanese team a formidable opponent for Indonesia, according to Bola.
Good attack, strong defense
Japan is one of the teams with the strongest defense left in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Of the 18 teams present, Japan has only conceded 1 goal after 4 matches.
Japan have not conceded in the first 3 matches of round 3, when they defeated China (7-0), Bahrain (2-0) and Saudi Arabia (2-0). It was not until the 1-1 draw with Australia that Japan's defense was broken, with defender Shogo Taniguchi scoring an own goal.
Japan is not only strong in defense, but also very sharp in penetrating the opponent's goal.
They have scored 15 goals against their opponents in just four games. Hajime Moriyasu's team scored an average of 3.75 goals per match. Therefore, the Indonesian team must be ready to face Japan's solid defense and sharp attack.
There are many excellent players
In the latest squad announced by Hajime Moriyasu, there are 20 players of the Japanese national team playing for European clubs. They are spread out to compete, from the national championships (VDQG) of Italy, England, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands or Scotland.
We can mention the stars of the Japanese team such as Wataru Endo, who is playing for Liverpool. Takefusa Kubo plays for Real Sociedad, Takumi Minamino plays for AS Monaco, Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton or Zion Suzuki of Parma...
In addition to playing well in domestic tournaments, the stars of the Japanese national team also often play, contributing a lot to the Europa League or Champions League.
Hajime Moriyasu's mark
The progress and stability of the Japanese team cannot be separated from the role of coach Hajime Moriyasu. Under his leadership, Japan has become one of the strongest teams in Asia.
Moriyasu led the Japanese national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and became the team leading Group E above Spain, Germany and Costa Rica. However, Japan stopped at the round of 16 when they lost to Croatia after a penalty shootout.
Moriyasu is considered an intelligent coach with a clear playing philosophy. In 4 matches in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, Japan played with a 3-4-2-1 formation. In the way the Japanese team plays, the central midfielder duo and 2 wingers play a very important role.
In total, Moriyasu has led the Japanese team in 86 matches, winning 60 matches, scoring 215 goals, conceding 64 goals, achieving 2.21 points/match.
World Cup regulars
The Japanese national team has improved every year, they first participated in the World Cup in 1998 and have since always been present in the world's number 1 tournament. By the end of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the Japanese team has participated in the World Cup 7 times in a row.
Japan has reached the round of 16 4 times, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was then eliminated by Croatia.
The 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada is in Japan's sights. They only need to win 2 or 3 more matches to have an 8th consecutive World Cup appearance.
