Discipline and togetherness: Japan's strategy for football greatness
📰 France24 · 📅 Jun 15, 2026, 08:47 AM · 🌐 france24.com
AI Summary & Analysis
What happened?
Discipline and togetherness: Japan's strategy for football greatness
Why does this event matter?
On Sunday, Japan sealed a 2-2 draw against the higher-ranked Netherlands in their 2026 World Cup opener.
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.
