Perennial dark horses – can Japan realise their potential and reach the quarter-finals for the first time, or maybe go even further?
If they do, expect Palace's Daichi Kamada to play a crucial part. Having won their last six games – a sequence that includes wins over Brazil and England – they are a team very much in form.
Kamada's International Journey
March 2019 saw Kamada called up to the Japan senior team for the first time. A debut followed against Colombia, replacing former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino as a late substitute.
The midfielder scored his first goal at senior level in a 6-0 win over Mongolia later that year, the first of 12 international strikes to date. This includes a run of scoring in three consecutive games against South Korea, Mongolia and Myanmar.
2026 won't be his first taste of a World Cup Finals. He was part of the Japan squad that went to Qatar four years ago and started in the famous wins over Germany and Spain in the group stage.
Kamada scored four goals during qualification as the Samurai Blue topped Group C.
