The Japan national football team is the national football team of Japan and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. It is one of the most successful national teams in Asia, being a four-time winner of the Asian Cup and having qualified for the last five consecutive World Cup finals, although in 2002 automatically as co-hosts.
After being overshadowed for years by baseball and sumo wrestling, football has been rapidly growing in popularity in Japan. The nation's first World Cup appearance was in 1998, four years before they co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with the Korea Republic. Although they lost all three group games in 1998, they managed to advance to the second round in 2002 before being edged out by eventual third-place finishers Turkey 1-0. In 2010 they made it again to the 2nd round before losing to Paraguay on penalties.
Japan will be playing in Group H with Poland, Senegal and Colombia.
