As a result of the two historic victories he achieved over four-time world champions Germany and 2010 champion Spain (with one score 2-1) and lead Group E once morest the European giants before the end of the campaign in the final price at the hands of Croatia on penalties, Moriyasu won the honor of being the first coach of the Japanese national team to maintain office following the World Cup.
In a press conference held in the capital, Tokyo, the 54-year-old coach expressed his happiness to continue the career with the national team until the World Cup 2026, saying, “It is a job that gives me the opportunity to compete on the international scene, and I am proud that I am Japanese. That is why I decided to accept the offer” from the Japanese Football Association.
Moriyasu, who defended the colors of the national team as a player between 1992 and 1996, received his assignment following the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in which he held the position of assistant coach.
In Qatar 2022, he was just around the corner from leading Japan to the quarter-finals for the first time in its history, but luck betrayed players in a penalty shootout, and they fell at the barrier of Luka Modric and his companions in the Croatian national team, following the original and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw.
And thus ended the career of the “Samurai Blue” at the price of the final, and Moriyasu said: “This is a barrier that we might not overcome, and therefore it can be said that we have not achieved anything new,” according to what the coach said following losing to Croatia.
And he added, “But the players showed something we had not seen in the past by beating the former champions, Germany and Spain.”
And since it made its debut in the 1998 World Cup with a squad made up entirely of local players, the number of Japanese players in European leagues has risen to the Qatar finals with 19 players playing in the old continent, including eight in Germany, which promises a bright future and the possibility of getting rid of the final price complex. In the 2026 finals hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.