Step on Korea and take care of the World Cup top seed?I'm scared. What's your goal for the East Asian Cup?
Step on Korea and take care of the World Cup top seed?I'm scared. What's your goal for the East Asian Cup?
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Will he be able to win the top seed for the first time in Asia by winning the East Asian Cup.
Japan is also paying considerable attention to the fact that coach Hajime Moriyasu, who leads the Japanese national soccer team, is considering singing European leagues at the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in Korea in July.
Even if Moriyasu pushes for it, he cannot bring it if the European club opposes the transfer, but as the tournament is held in the offseason, it is difficult to bring in a few European players who have not been selected for the existing national team under consultation with their teams.
On the one hand, there are observations that Japan, whose FIFA ranking has soared to 15th place, may be aiming for the top seed of the draw for the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. through its victory over Korea at the East Asian Cup.
Of course, it is hard to regard Moriyasu as calling a European team to the East Asian Cup for the top seed, but it is also a reality that if he beats Korea, which ranks 20th in FIFA rankings, he will benefit from FIFA ranking points.
Japanese media "Sponichi Annex" said on the 5th, "Coach Moriyasu expressed his intention to convene players playing for overseas clubs for the E-1 Championship in Korea in July."
The East Asian Cup, which is held every two to three years, will take place in Korea from July 7 to 16 this year. South Korea, China, Japan and Hong Kong will participate in the men's event. South Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines will participate in the women's event. The Philippines is not a member of the East Asian Football Confederation, but it is here for the women's event. As North Korea cannot come to South Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines will be qualified for the men's event.
Japan defeated Bahrain 2-0 in the seventh Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup in March and became the first in the world to win a ticket to the World Cup finals. Of the 26 entries at the time, 22 were European, including goalkeeper Suzuki Zaion, who plays for Italy's AC Pharma.
It has become a team that is second to none in the world to the power of the squad.
As a result, many European players are not selected for the national team. A case in point is Kyogo Furuhashi (Stade Ren), who is often excluded from the national team even though he won the top scorer in the Scottish First Division on 2022-2023.
In fact, it is unlikely that a Furuhashi-level player will visit Korea in July. The Japanese soccer community interprets that Moriyasu is trying to sing in European leagues, which had never been invited to the national team. Kokubo Leo, a former goalkeeper for the Japanese Olympic team of Sint-Truiden in Belgium, where Japanese capital is the largest shareholder, and Yuito Suzuki, a striker who plays for Copenhagen, Denmark, and is eyeing European big leagues, are expected to be the players Moriyasu wants to call out. It is known that there are about 60 Japanese players playing in Western Europe.
Against this backdrop, some observers say that if Japan beats South Korea and wins the East Asian Cup, the FIFA ranking will also be helped to get closer to the World Cup draw top seed.
A total of 48 countries will participate in the World Cup finals, with the top nine teams in the FIFA rankings receiving the top seed, except for three countries: the United States, copyright and Mexico.
Japan is currently ranked 15th, but after the third Asian qualifying round for the World Cup after the match against Australia and Indonesia in June, it will have to play a friendly match by June next year. According to the FIFA ranking method, the weight of friendly matches is lower than that of World Cup qualifiers or Asian Cups, but the match against South Korea is ranked 23rd, and if it beats South Korea because it is an away match, it can help increase FIFA ranking.
As the match is not held during the A-match period, it could be a bonus match for Japan to increase its FIFA ranking. Under such circumstances, Moriyasu is fidgeting with the card to play for the European leagues. 메이저놀이터
For reference, the FIFA rankings for April are No. 1 Argentina, No. 2 Spain, No. 3 France, No. 4 England, No. 5 Brazil, No. 6 Netherlands, No. 7 War Portugal, No. 8 Belgium, No. 9 Italy, No. 10 Germany, No. 11 Croatia, No. 12 Morocco, No. 13 Uruguay, No. 14 Colombia, No. 15 Japan, and No. 16 USA.