"We will win the World Cup": Japan's national soccer team makes a bold coaching appointment... Legendary figure joins coaching staff as coach

*This content was translated by AI.

The Japan national soccer team, which has declared its intention to win the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, has made a bold coaching appointment. It has unexpectedly recruited Shunsuke Nakamura (47), a legendary figure in Japanese football, to its coaching staff.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) officially announced on the 16th that it had appointed former national team midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura as the new coach for the national team at its Do Kyo-e-seo (Director) meeting.

According to local media outlets including 'Nikkan Sports', this appointment was made at the strong request of Japan national team head coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Yamamoto Masakuni Gi Sul-wi (Director) stated regarding the background of Coach Nakamura's appointment that "it is to increase the win rate even slightly in the World Cup", and expressed his expectation that "Nakamura's rich experience, which only he possesses, will provide great stimulation and help to the Hyeon Jae (CEO) team players".

Coach Nakamura gained fame during his playing career as a left-foot specialist. He is an iconic figure in Japanese football who participated in the 2006 Germany World Cup and the 2010 South Africa World Cup. In particular, he proved his abilities on the European stage, including winning the league MVP during his time at Scotland's Celtic. After retiring from active play in 2022, Nakamura built his coaching career at Yokohama FC and obtained the JFA P-level license, the highest coaching certification, in 2025.

Confidence within the Japan national team, which is approaching the World Cup finals, has reached its peak. In March's A-match series, Japan caused a sensation by defeating Scotland and England 1-0.

Even Coach Moriyasu has never hidden his ambition to win the World Cup. According to 'ESPN', while Coach Moriyasu is aware that "many people in Japan believe our World Cup victory is impossible", he has emphasized that "England is a strong favorite to win this tournament. Japan will prove its potential to win the World Cup as a dark horse".

The global stage is already wary of Japan's momentum. The UK's 'BBC' reported that "England was completely outplayed by Japan. They could not withstand Japan's organized defense and Kaoru Mitoma's (Brighton & Hove Albion) speed", and added that "England put on a terrible performance against Japan. It was not effective at all".

Coach Nakamura, who joined the team about two months before the World Cup, will accompany the national team through this North American World Cup to assist Coach Moriyasu. The Japan national team already has a solid coaching staff, including former Bundesliga player Makoto Hasebe, Hiroshi Nanami, and Ryoichi Maeda.

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*This content was translated by AI.