Japan World Cup Team Statistics
Japan's team statistics reflect a squad that delivered its third consecutive knockout-stage appearance across the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending the program's run as Asia's most consistent qualifier. The team's offensive structure produced 8 goals across four matches, with Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda, Junya Ito, Keito Nakamura, Daizen Maeda, and Kaishu Sano combining to spread Japan's scoring output across six different players. Japan created its most productive attacking sequence of the tournament in Monterrey, where a 4-0 rout of Tunisia set new national records for margin of victory and goals in a single World Cup match.
Japan maintained a possession share below 50% in three of four matches, reflecting a deliberate compact, counter-attacking approach against technically stronger opponents. Defensive metrics (5 goals conceded across four matches and a single clean sheet) highlight the fine margins that separated Japan from the quarter-finals, with the team leading Brazil for over an hour before Gabriel Martinelli's stoppage-time winner. The team demonstrates a genuine attacking identity built on late-match composure, though the Brazil defeat exposed a continuing inability to close out knockout matches.
Japan World Cup team statistics are shown in the table below.
Team Statistics — Overview
Japan's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign produced 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss across four matches, with 8 goals scored and 5 conceded, extending an unbeaten group-stage run before a narrow Round of 32 exit. Hajime Moriyasu's squad finished second in Group F behind the Netherlands, beating Tunisia 4-0 and drawing with the Netherlands and Sweden, before falling 2-1 to five-time champions Brazil in Houston. Daichi Kamada and Ayase Ueda shared the scoring lead with two goals each, and Japan reached the knockout stage for the third straight tournament and the fifth time in seven World Cup appearances since 2002.
A dramatic 88th-minute Kamada header against the Netherlands and a record-breaking 4-0 demolition of Tunisia highlight an attacking campaign built on late resilience, while Gabriel Martinelli's stoppage-time winner for Brazil ended the run in the Round of 32. Ayase Ueda became the first Japanese player to score twice in a single World Cup match, doing so against Tunisia, while Junya Ito, at 33, became Japan's oldest World Cup goalscorer in the same fixture. Captain duties passed to Ko Itakura after Wataru Endo withdrew injured before the tournament, and 39-year-old Yuto Nagatomo became the first Asian player to appear at five World Cups.
Japan's World Cup statistics summary is shown in the table below.
| Tournament | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets | Average possession | Shots / Game | Shots on Target / Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 1 | — | 6.5 | 3.3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2010 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2002 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Total / Average | 29 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 33 | 38 | 7 | — | 6.5 | 3.3 |
| Tournament | Pass Accuracy | Corners / Game | Fouls / Game | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | GK Clean Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | — | — | 0 | ||
| 2022 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1998 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total / Average | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Japan's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign compares closely with the program's 2022 tournament, producing 8 goals across four matches, the same as in Qatar. Kamada and Ueda led the offense with 2 goals each, Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito added a goal apiece in the Netherlands and Tunisia fixtures, and Daizen Maeda opened the scoring against Sweden before Kaishu Sano struck late against Brazil.
Ko Itakura captained the side in Endo's absence, anchoring a defense that recorded a single clean sheet in the emphatic Tunisia win. Discipline stayed largely under control across the tournament with no red cards, while the 2-1 defeat to Brazil, decided in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, exposed the fine margins separating Japan from a maiden quarter-final.
* All-time leaders across every edition. Possession and passing data are only published by FIFA from 2010 onwards.
