Round of 8 Probability 40% Excitement Fever... Japan Says "We Will Wait for Korea"

Round of 16 vs Croatia at 0:00 on the 6th
If victorious, quarterfinals against Korea-Brazil winner
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary: "I want to see a Korea-Japan quarterfinal"

On the 2nd (local time), citizens in Tokyo, Japan, cheered as their national soccer team defeated Spain and advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. On that day, Japan beat Spain 2-1 in the final third match of Group E in the Qatar World Cup group stage held at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

In the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, Japan, which defeated strong teams, aims to become the third AFC (Asian Football Confederation) member nation to reach the quarterfinals.

Japan will play against Croatia in the round of 16 at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, at midnight on the 6th (Korean time).

Japan and Croatia have faced each other three times so far, with a balanced record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss each.

In the World Cup finals, they met twice in 1998 in France and 2006 in Germany, with Croatia leading with 1 win and 1 draw.

Sports data startup SportsVivas analyzed the odds movements from overseas bookmakers and estimated Japan's probability of reaching the quarterfinals at 40%.

Japan was placed in Group E, known as the "Group of Death," and was expected to have difficulty advancing to the round of 16, but they achieved 2-1 come-from-behind victories against the "Panzer Army" Germany and the "Invincible Armada" Spain, finishing first in the group.

If Japan defeats Croatia, they will become the third AFC member nation to reach the World Cup quarterfinals, following North Korea in 1966 and South Korea in 2002.

Japan has advanced to the round of 16 four times in total, starting with the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, then in 2010 South Africa, 2018 Russia, and this tournament.

The winner of the Japan vs. Croatia match will face the winner of the South Korea vs. Brazil round of 16 match in the quarterfinals.

Seiji Hara (木原誠二), Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, expressed his hope that the Japanese and South Korean teams will face each other in the World Cup quarterfinals.

On the 4th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hara appeared on a program of Japan’s private broadcaster Fuji TV and said, assuming that South Korea and Japan defeat strong teams in the round of 16, "I want to see a Korea-Japan match fighting for the 'Best 4'."

Meanwhile, SportsVivas stated that South Korea’s probability of reaching the quarterfinals is 15.2%. They added that the likelihood of a Korea-Japan match occurring in the quarterfinals is 6%.

If both South Korea and Japan win, the Korea-Japan World Cup quarterfinal match will be held at midnight on the 10th.