Japan are keeping Hajime Moriyasu. Despite another round-of-16 exit — a 2-1 loss to Brazil — the Japan Football Association is expected to announce his continuation as head coach later Thursday, according to domestic media reports.
JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto all but confirmed it. "We would have to make preparations to that end," he told Kyodo. Not exactly a rousing endorsement, but in football administration, that's close enough to a handshake deal.
A record that holds up — to a point
The case for keeping Moriyasu isn't hard to make. He took over after the 2018 World Cup in Russia and has since guided Japan to back-to-back knockout stage appearances. In Qatar 2022, they knocked off Spain and Germany in the group stage, then went out to Croatia on penalties. In this tournament, they beat their group before running into Brazil.
The problem is what happens in those knockout games. Japan have now played multiple elimination matches under Moriyasu without winning a single one. At some point, consistent progression stops being a story about trajectory and starts being one about a ceiling.
He's reportedly getting a one-year extension — not a full cycle, just enough to take Japan through the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia early next year. That's a telling signal. The JFA isn't writing a blank cheque; they're buying time.
Asian Cup is the immediate test
Japan enter the tournament as one of the favorites. They've drawn into Group F alongside Indonesia, Qatar — the defending champions — and Thailand. On paper, that's a group Japan should navigate without too much stress.
Winning the Asian Cup would give Moriyasu's tenure a silverware argument it currently lacks. Falling short, especially after another knockout-round stumble, will make the extension look like exactly what it is: a short leash dressed up as loyalty.
Twenty-four teams are already qualified. Japan's group stage draw is manageable. The pressure starts in the knockouts — where it always does for this team.
