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Endo Declares Japan's Aim to Win World Cup
The Straits Times
|March 22, 2025
Wataru Endo has urged fans to buy into his belief that Japan can win the 2026 World Cup, after they became the first team to qualify for the quadrennial showpiece on March 20.
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SAITAMA - Wataru Endo has urged fans to buy into his belief that Japan can win the 2026 World Cup, after they became the first team to qualify for the quadrennial showpiece on March 20.
The Samurai Blue beat Bahrain 2-0 to punch their ticket to the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico after a dominant run in qualifying.
Japan, who are four-time Asian champions, have never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup. But captain Endo addressed fans on the pitch after the game and urged them to believe they can lift the trophy next summer.
"I thought it was good for them to hear me say it," said the Liverpool midfielder. "Qualifying for the World Cup is an important point, so I wanted to share our target with the fans, not just the players."
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored second-half goals to give Japan six wins and one draw in Group C of the third round of Asian qualifiers.
This story is from the March 22, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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