'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 sense of defeat still lingers for the Korean national team after their exit from the CONCACAF World Cup. The same is true for Japan, who were eliminated after a come-from-behind loss to Brazil in the round of 32. Although they were knocked out, Japan managed to score the opening goal against a strong team, held their ground, and played a fairly even match. Most evaluations in Japan say, "They lost, but fought well." There are, of course, some voices expressing disappointment with Japan's head coach, Hajime Moriyasu. Still, the prevailing assessment is that Japan has risen to the ranks of football powerhouses. Many articles in Korea have analyzed the situation in a similar way.

However, Japan's true goal is not this year's World Cup. Japan has an ambitious dream: to host the 2050 World Cup and win the tournament on home soil. To achieve this, a separate project is underway. This is the "Japan's Way" project created by the Japan Football Association (JFA). This week, we take a closer look at what is happening in Japanese football in pursuit of 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 began to take a serious interest in football development after co-hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. In 2005, the JFA announced its vision, known as the "2005 Declaration." The goals were to elevate Japanese football and its national team to the world's top 10 by 2015, to increase the number of people enjoying football to 5 million, and to organize a football association of the highest international standard. The declaration also set forth its 2050 goals: to achieve a football population of 10 million in Japan, to host a FIFA World Cup in Japan, and to win that World Cup. Taking advantage of the growing enthusiasm for football, Japan set out to build a long-term system.

In reality, a goal set for 2050 could easily fade away as leadership changes hands. However, this goal has been steadfastly pursued. In July 2022, the JFA published a 55-page booklet titled "Japan's Way," which confirms this ongoing commitment. The booklet lays out Japan's unwavering goal of winning the 2050 World Cup, as well as the underlying philosophy and direction of Japanese football.

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 comes true, what will Japanese football look like? By working backward from that ideal, we close the gap with the current situation. The path to get there is Japan's Way." To advance Japanese football, they are focusing on three pillars: strengthening the national team, youth development, and training coaches, while also working to increase the overall football population.

The opening statement of the vision is, "We will become the happiest country in the world through football." This goes beyond simply improving the national team's results; it means building a society where children can safely connect with sports through football, creating structures where football supports local communities, and so on. While developing elite players is important, they also aim to strengthen the foundation of grassroots sports. In essence, the focus is on cultivating a vibrant football culture.

To this end, the vision addresses—in great detail—player profiles, position-specific skill requirements, developmental stages by age, physical training, coaching licenses, and the expansion of football culture. It even outlines Japan's future offensive and defensive philosophies.

What stands out is their willingness to candidly reveal their own weaknesses. In "Japan's Way," the JFA explicitly states, "The biggest challenge for Japanese football is the quality of play and actions in the final phase in front of the opponent's penalty box, and the level of pressure in these moments." In other words, their build-up play is good, but they struggle to finish in front of the goal. To address this, the principles of attack are: always aim for the goal; transition to attack immediately after winning the ball; move based on the opponent's positioning; utilize link-up play; make bold decisions in front of the opponent's goal; and demonstrate good 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 continuously revised and updated, reflecting feedback from the field while maintaining an overarching direction. In this sense, the project resembles a regularly reviewed and updated strategic document managed by the JFA.

The process of appointing the head coach also takes place within this framework. Hajime Moriyasu, who has led the Japanese national team, gained recognition for his leadership in the J.League and worked with the JFA for a long time before being promoted to national team head coach. He served as a JFA coach and youth national team coach, then as head coach of the U-23 national team for the 2017 Tokyo Olympics, and as a coach for the senior national team at the 2018 Russia World Cup, before being appointed to his current position. In other words, a leader who had worked within the system for a long time was selected.

Of course, Japan's approach is not a textbook that should be blindly followed or emulated. After the recent loss to Brazil, Japanese media soberly evaluated, "This may be the strongest team ever, but it was not enough to become the world's best." Criticism regarding Coach Moriyasu's responsibility has resurfaced as well. Moriyasu himself bowed his head, admitting, "The coach's ability was most lacking." Still, the ability to maintain a single blueprint and pursue a decades-long project may be a strategy that Korea needs to consider for the development of its own football.

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