Moriyasu, earning less than Hong Myung-bo, likely to achieve Japan's first '12-year long-term tenure'

*This content was translated by AI.

Local reports indicate that Hajime Moriyasu (58), the manager who led the Japanese national team to consecutive group stage qualifications in two World Cups, is highly likely to extend his contract for the next World Cup as well.

According to Japanese media outlets including Chunichi Sports on the 27th, the Japan Football Association has begun reviewing the selection of a successor after the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, with retaining Manager Moriyasu as its basic policy.

If Manager Moriyasu signs a new contract with the Japan Football Association after the North American World Cup, his tenure will continue uninterrupted since his appointment as Japan national team manager in July 2018. Given that the new contract period is likely to span four years until the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, a 12-year long-term tenure system will be established.

Under Manager Moriyasu's leadership, the Japanese national team caused a major upset at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by defeating Germany and Spain in the group stage to advance to the round of 16. At this North American World Cup, Japan also drew 2-2 with the Netherlands, becoming the first team in Japanese football history to pass the group stage undefeated in an away World Cup. This achievement was made despite variables such as injuries and departures of key players, both before and during the tournament.

Beyond simply achieving World Cup results, Manager Moriyasu is praised for developing the national team into a globally recognized team, not just in Asia, by defeating Brazil 3-2 in a friendly last year and beating England 1-0 in a European away friendly just before the World Cup. In fact, many foreign media analyses focused on Japan as a dark horse ahead of this World Cup tournament.

Although Manager Moriyasu has led the Japanese national team for eight years and achieved clear results, his salary is not at a high level. According to recent salary data released by SalaryScape, Manager Moriyasu's estimated salary for the North American World Cup was only 865,000 euros (approximately 1.52 billion won), ranking 29th out of 48 countries. In contrast, Manager Hong Myung-bo's salary reached 2.16 million euros (approximately 3.8 billion won, estimated figures), ranking 16th overall—more than double that of Manager Moriyasu.

Chunichi Sports emphasized, "Whether the goal of winning this World Cup is achieved remains a variable, but the Japan Football Association already highly evaluates Manager Moriyasu's leadership in leading the team to consecutive World Cup tournament appearances for two years. It is certain that he is also considered the most likely candidate for the next manager."

It further stated, "After the World Cup concludes, the Japan Football Association plans to deliberate on the continuation of Manager Moriyasu's tenure through the advisory committee following analysis and verification by the technical committee. If both parties agree, Manager Moriyasu will establish a long-term tenure system lasting up to 12 years, becoming the first in Japanese football history to lead the national team in three consecutive World Cups."

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*This content was translated by AI.