🇯🇵 Japan
Asia · FIFA JPN
Key Statistics
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: What a shame for Japan. The literal creators of Captain Tsubasa—the anime that inspired half the world's actual superstars to play football—really should have performed a whole lot better on the global stage by now.
Despite their immaculate organization, high-tech training, and polite fans who clean up the stadium, their national team still lacks the killer instinct needed to go deep. If only they could execute a real-life twin shot or drive shoot, maybe they'd finally make it past the Round of 16.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 2010 | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | — |
| 2002 | Korea, Japan | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 7 | — |
| 1998 | France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — |
| Total | 7 editions | 25 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 25 | 33 | 25 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Japan has a population of 124.4M and an estimated GDP of $4.8T. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 0.20 | #60 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 0.20 | #58 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 0.06 | #53 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #47 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.01 | #71 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.01 | #64 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.00 | #60 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #47 / 84 |