Japan are keeping Hajime Moriyasu. The Japan Football Association is set to confirm his extension Thursday, just days after Brazil knocked the Samurai Blue out of the World Cup 2-1 in the round of 32.
The logic is clear enough. Moriyasu has delivered consistency — knockout stage appearances in back-to-back World Cups, including that penalty shootout exit to Croatia in Qatar 2022. The JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto was already talking about "making preparations" before the ink is dry, and Kyodo reports the federation wants him to stay.
The knockout curse nobody's addressing
Here's the problem nobody in Tokyo seems keen to say out loud: Japan have never won a knockout match at a World Cup. Not once. Under Moriyasu, they've had their moments in the group stage — beating Germany and Spain in Qatar was genuinely impressive — but when it gets to the sharp end, they've fallen short every time. Croatia on penalties. Brazil by a single goal.
Extending a coach off that record isn't irrational. But it's a choice that says the JFA is more interested in stability than in asking harder questions about why the ceiling hasn't moved.
The extension is reportedly a one-year deal, timed specifically for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia early next year. Japan are among the favorites, and rightly so — they go in as one of the strongest squads in Asia, landing in Group F alongside Indonesia, Qatar, and Thailand. Winning that tournament wouldn't close the gap to the World Cup knockout stage, but it would give Moriyasu a trophy to point to.
What this means for the Asian Cup picture
Twenty-four teams have already qualified. Defending champions Qatar are in Japan's group, which makes Group F immediately the most interesting draw in the competition. Japan's odds to lift the trophy will be short — and with a settled squad and a coach who knows his players, that's not undeserved.
Whether winning Asia actually moves Japan forward as a global footballing force is another question entirely. Moriyasu gets his shot to answer it.
