Who are Japan's standouts at the World Cup? Meet Brazil's rival

The Japanese team secured their qualification on Thursday (25) for the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, after drawing 1-1 with Sweden, and will be Brazil's opponents next Monday (29), at the NRG Stadium, in Houston, at 2 pm (Brasília time).

This will be the second duel between the teams in the World Cup. In 2006, in Germany, the Brazilian team won 4-1.

Thursday's (25th) clash against Sweden, valid for the third round of Group F, at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, was a display of Japanese talent and collective strength, especially in the goal scored by Maeda, when the team worked the ball from foot to foot until finding the attacker behind the defense.

This talent also appeared in the second round, in the 4-0 defeat of Tunisia, and in the debut against the Netherlands, when they were twice behind on the scoreboard and sought a draw, even playing better than the Dutch at times.

This entire campaign and good football are due to the squad and command of Hajime Moriyasu, coach of the Japanese national team since July 2018, who took over after the Russian Cup in 2018, when he was an assistant. This is his second World Cup as head coach, having been in charge of the team in Qatar, in 2022.

Even without his captain Wataru Endo, cut by injury, and without being able to count on striker Takefusa Kubo, who was injured on his debut and has not yet had his condition announced, the coach assembled a fast team, with an associative attack that imposes itself even in defensive aerial balls, with an average height of 1.81 m.

Check out some of Japan's highlights in the World Cup:
Zion Suzuki
The young goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, aged 23, is one of the highlights of the Japanese team. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States, he is the son of a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother and plays for Parma in the Italian Championship.

Suzuki was one of the main people responsible for securing the draw against Sweden, with great saves, especially shots from Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. However, he ended up being surprised by Elanga himself in the move that resulted in the Swedish goal.

Daichi Kamada
Kamada is one of the bellwethers of the Asian team, having inherited a lot of responsibility after Liverpool captain Wataru Endo was cut due to injury. He has made a good partnership with Tanaka, who ends up being the most combative player, while Daichi controls the pace of the game and the offensive transitions.

The number 15, who also plays in the Premier League, for Crystal Palace, is one of the team's top scorers in the World Cup, with two goals, one against the Netherlands and the other in Tunisia.

Keito Nakamura
At 25 years old, Nakamura is one of the driving forces behind Hajime Moriyasu's team, able to play as a left winger and as a winger on the same side. He has had an excellent World Cup, always with quick dribbling, association play and presence in the box.

The player from Stade de Reims, France, scored one of the goals against the Netherlands and provided an assist against Tunisia. He should try to exploit the backs of Danilo and Rayan on Brazil's right side.

Ritsu Doan
Shirt number 10 Ritsu Doan has attracted attention in the group stage of the World Cup. In the match against Sweden, he was the author of one of the most cerebral assists of the tournament, finding Maeda behind the European defense to score.

At 28 years old, the left-handed dribbler from Eintracht Frankfurt (ALE) plays more on the right side, bringing it into the middle and seeking greater association with his teammates. It could be a point of attention for Douglas Santos.

Ayase Ueda
Goal man for the Japanese national team and Feyenoord, the striker, who scored 26 times during the European season, has already found the net twice in the World Cup, both against Tunisia, when he also served as a waiter.

He is the Japanese top scorer in the tournament alongside Kamada and has scored 18 times with the Blue Samurais shirt in 43 matches. He is a center forward who seeks to open spaces for his teammates and is dangerous in aerial balls. I work for Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães in the duel on Monday (29).

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Source: CNN