'Fought Well Against Brazil'... The 'Football Revolution' Aiming for 2050 World Cup Victory [Sunday Culture]

"Japan's Way" by the JFA
Emphasizing National Team Strengthening and Youth Development
Japan Candidly Reveals Weaknesses and Presents Solutions

The disappointment from the Korean national team’s defeat at the North and Central America World Cup still lingers. The same can be said for Japan, who suffered a come-from-behind loss to Brazil in the Round of 32. Although they were eliminated, Japan scored the opening goal against a strong opponent, held their ground, and played a highly competitive match. Most evaluations in Japan agree that, “They lost, but fought well.” There are some voices expressing regret towards Japan’s head coach Hajime Moriyasu, but the prevailing sentiment is that Japan has now risen to the ranks of football powerhouses. Many media outlets in Korea have published similar analyses.

However, Japan’s true target is not this year’s World Cup. Their grand ambition is to host the World Cup in 2050 and win the tournament on home soil. They are running a dedicated project to achieve this. That is the “Japan’s Way” project led by the Japan Football Association (JFA). This week, we take a look at what is happening within Japanese football as they pursue victory at the 2050 World Cup.

On the 29th (local time) at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas, USA, during the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, Japan's Kaishu Sano scored the opening goal against Brazil and celebrated with his teammates. Houston (USA) = AP Yonhap News.

Japan’s interest in football development began in earnest after co-hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. In 2005, the JFA announced its so-called “2005 Declaration,” outlining its vision. The goals were to elevate Japanese football and the national team to a top-10 level worldwide by 2015, expand the football-playing population to 5 million, and build a world-class football association. The JFA also set out long-term targets for 2050: to reach a football population of 10 million within Japan, to host a FIFA World Cup in Japan, and to win the World Cup. With football enthusiasm on the rise, the JFA seized the moment to lay the groundwork for a long-term system.

Of course, a target set for 2050 could easily be abandoned as people in charge change. However, this goal has been pursued consistently. In July 2022, the JFA published a 55-page booklet titled “Japan’s Way” that reaffirms this commitment. The booklet outlines the philosophy and direction of Japanese football in pursuit of the unchanging goal: winning the World Cup in 2050.

The vision related to Japan's attacking tactics featured in "Japan's Way," published by the Japan Football Association (JFA). JFA.

So, what exactly is “Japan’s Way”? The JFA explains, “When the dream of Japan winning the FIFA World Cup in 2050 is realized, what will the state of Japanese football look like? ‘Japan’s Way’ is about working backward from that desired vision, identifying the gaps from the present, and charting the path to reach it.” To advance Japanese football, the JFA is focusing on three pillars: strengthening the national team, nurturing youth players, and developing coaches, while also working to expand the football-playing population.

The preface states the ambition to become “the happiest country in the world through football.” This goes beyond simply improving the national team’s results; it means creating a society where children can safely connect with sports through football and building a structure where football supports local communities. While elite player development is important, the JFA is also committed to establishing a foundation for grassroots sports—essentially focusing on cultivating football culture.

To that end, the booklet covers, in great detail, ideal player profiles, position-specific skill requirements, age-based development stages, physical conditioning, coaching licenses, and the expansion of football culture. Remarkably, it even lays out Japan’s future attacking and defensive philosophies in full.

What stands out is their willingness to openly acknowledge their weaknesses. In “Japan’s Way,” the JFA candidly states, “The biggest challenge for Japanese football is the quality of actions and decision-making in the final phase in front of the opponent’s penalty box, and the ability to handle pressure.” In other words, Japan is good at building up play, but struggles to finish in front of goal. To address this, the attacking principles are: always aim for goal, transition to attack immediately upon winning the ball, move based on reading the opponent, coordinate play, make bold decisions near the opponent’s goal, and play with strong situational awareness.

On the 29th (local time), at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas, USA, following the Round of 32 match between Brazil and Japan in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, Japan’s head coach Hajime Moriyasu is bowing his head in greeting. Houston (USA) = Reuters Yonhap News.

This document is frequently revised and updated. The JFA sets the overall direction and then adapts the details based on feedback from the field, giving it the feel of a living project document that is periodically reviewed and updated by the JFA.

The process of appointing coaches also follows this framework. Hajime Moriyasu, who has led the Japanese national team, was recognized for his leadership in the J.League and spent many years working within the JFA before being promoted to national team head coach. He served as a JFA coach, youth national team coach, manager of the U-23 national team for the 2017 Tokyo Olympics, and assistant coach for the senior team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, before taking the helm of the senior national team. In other words, a coach with extensive internal experience was selected.

Of course, Japan’s approach is not a textbook for Korea to blindly follow. Following the defeat to Brazil, Japanese media commented, “This was the strongest Japanese team ever, but it could not become the world’s best,” offering a sober assessment. Criticism of Moriyasu’s leadership also resurfaced. Moriyasu himself admitted, “The coach’s ability was the most lacking,” bowing his head in humility. Nevertheless, the drive to pursue a long-term project based on a clear blueprint for several decades seems to be a strategic approach that Korea should also consider for its own football development.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.