Hajime Moriyasu backs Japan to upset Brazil in World Cup despite Takefusa Kubo injury

By SABC Sport
29th June 2026

Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu has revealed he will decide his team's penalty takers in advance if Monday's FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston goes to a shootout.

The decision comes after Japan's painful exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where missed penalties against Croatia ended their campaign in the last 16. Moriyasu said he wanted to remove the pressure from his players by taking responsibility for the order himself.

"This time, when the moment comes for the penalty kick shootout, I would like to decide the order of the kickers rather than players volunteering like last time," Moriyasu said. "I think I am going to make the decision and decide who is going to kick."

Japan arrived at the 2026 World Cup with ambitions of making history by reaching the final. Strong performances over recent years, including victories against Germany, Spain and England, have strengthened belief that Moriyasu's side can challenge the world's leading nations.

They also defeated Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil 3-2 in a friendly in Tokyo last October, a result Moriyasu believes will give their opponents extra motivation heading into the knockout encounter.

Japan will, however, be without winger Takefusa Kubo, who has failed to recover from the injury he suffered during the group stage.

"He's not taking part in the general part of training, he is doing his individual training," Moriyasu said. "He is not going to play in the match against Brazil. We want him to recover quickly, and he wants it too."

Moriyasu also admitted that the demands of travelling across Canada, the United States and Mexico had tested his squad, while Japan's shorter recovery period compared to Brazil added another challenge before the last-32 tie.

Despite those obstacles, the Japan coach remained confident his players could compete with one of the tournament favourites.

"In the near term we believe we are able to win and we believe we have that chance, even for this World Cup," Moriyasu said. "Some people said Japan would be a dark horse and we will be playing with that in mind."