NASHVILLE - Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.
With around 5,000 fans cheering from the stands, players including Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo took part in light training, jogging and practicing ball control exercises.
Takumi Minamino of Monaco, who is accompanying the squad in a mentor role to support the players, also joined the session and worked out alongside the team as preparations continued for the tournament.
Japan's World Cup campaign begins in what looks like one of the tournament's most competitive groups, with the Samurai Blue drawn alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F.
The opening match against the Netherlands on June 14th will be an immediate test of Japan's ambitions. The Dutch are widely regarded as favorites to top the group, boasting one of Europe's deepest squads and a long history of success at major tournaments. Japan's performance in that match could determine whether it is competing for first place or fighting to advance as a runner-up.
Japan's second match against Tunisia on June 20th may be the most important game of the group stage. Tunisia has never advanced beyond the World Cup group stage, but African teams have become increasingly difficult opponents. Japan will likely view this as a must-win fixture if it hopes to reach the knockout rounds comfortably.
The final group match against Sweden on June 25th could prove decisive. Sweden has a strong World Cup tradition and possesses a physically imposing style that often troubles technical teams. If both nations enter the final match with three or four points, a place in the Round of 32 could be on the line.
From Japan's perspective, the group is challenging but far from intimidating. Hajime Moriyasu's side has developed a reputation for upsetting European powers, defeating both Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup. With players such as Wataru Endo, Takefusa Kubo, Kaoru Mitoma and Ao Tanaka forming the core of the squad, many analysts see Japan as a legitimate dark horse capable of advancing and potentially making its first-ever quarterfinal appearance.
A realistic prediction would be:
Netherlands
Japan
Sweden
Tunisia
If Japan can avoid defeat against the Netherlands and defeat Tunisia, the Samurai Blue would be in a strong position to reach the knockout stage before the final match against Sweden.
Source: Kyodo
