The Japan national football team encountered an unexpected hurdle early in their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place from 11 June to 19 July.
The Samurai Blue squad ran into non-technical difficulties, particularly concerning their training facilities in Monterrey, Mexico.
According to a report from beIN Sports, Japan began their training sessions in Monterrey before continuing their journey to the United States.
During the training camp, the Japanese team used facilities belonging to the Tigres UANL club.
However, the team found the pitch to be in very poor condition, failing to meet FIFA’s required standards.
Reports from local Monterrey media, including journalist Willie González, revealed that the Japanese players were unhappy with the state of the training field provided to them.
Eventually, the Japan national team decided to relocate their training sessions to another facility in El Barrial, Mexico.
“Japan could not train at the Tigres Training Center because the pitch was not in good condition. The Japanese team is preparing to leave Monterrey due to their disappointment. Tomorrow they will train at El Barrial; they requested the pitch from Rayados,” wrote Willie González.
Early next week, the Japan national team will fly to Nashville, United States, which will serve as their base for the 2026 World Cup.
Under the guidance of head coach Hajime Moriyasu, Japan will compete in Group F alongside the Netherlands (15 June), Tunisia (21 June), and Sweden (26 June).
Despite the early setback, fans are eager to see how Japan will perform at the 2026 World Cup.
Football analyst Adrian from Spieltag Indonesia shared his predictions for Japan’s campaign during the Tribunnews podcast titled “SUPER TAKTIK: The Power Map of the 2026 World Cup and the Dream of the Indonesian National Team,” aired on Sunday (31 May 2026).
Adrian noted that Japan currently boasts a generation of highly talented players, possibly their golden era.
Besides Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Japan also has Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), the top scorer in the Dutch league.
The squad also includes top players such as Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Junya Ito (Stade de Reims), Ko Itakura (Ajax), and Zion Suzuki (Parma).
According to Adrian, Japan is a team capable of springing surprises.
“Japan have been outstanding in the last two World Cups. This generation is like Norway’s golden generation, supported by Hajime Moriyasu’s leadership and their experience in major competitions. Their style of play is already on par with, or even surpasses, some European national teams,” he explained.
“Group F looks well-balanced. The Netherlands are a traditional powerhouse that always perform well in tournaments, while Japan and Sweden are the dark horses,” he added.
“This could make things difficult for the Netherlands. Still, I predict the Netherlands will top Group F,” he concluded.
(Tribunnews.com/Isnaini)
