Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu bows after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Brazil and Japan in Houston, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
TOKYO— Hajime Moriyasu is predicted to proceed as head coach of Japan’s men’s team, with the national soccer federation set to announce a move in a while Thursday, based on reports within the domestic media.
Moriyasu guided the team to the round of 32 on the World Cup before falling 2-1 earlier within the week to five-time champion Brazil.
Japan has consistently progressed on the world stage within the last twenty years but has yet to win a match within the knockout stages on the World Cup.
Moriyasu took over the national team after the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He guided Japan to the knockout stage within the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, losing to Croatia on penalties.
Kyodo, the national news agency, reports that the Japan Football Association wants Moriyasu to stay on the job.
“We’d must make preparations to that end,” JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
Some reports suggest he’ll get a one-year extension so as to stay for the upcoming Asian Cup to be held early next 12 months in Saudi Arabia. Qatar is the defending champion and Japan can be among the many favorites to win Asia’s top soccer prize.
Twenty-four teams have already qualified for the event. Japan will play in Group F with Indonesia, Qatar and Thailand.
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