Japan World Cup Odds

Japan has been regulars at the World Cup for some time now and will be part of the tournament for a seventh consecutive occasion this winter.

While they have never managed to go beyond the round of 16 stages, this is a team with plenty of quality and they’ll be hoping this might be the year they make a genuine run at it.

They secured their spot at this year’s World Cup by finishing second in Group B of AFC qualification, where they were just a point behind Saudi Arabia and a full seven points ahead of Australia in third.

There is a nice blend of experience and potential in the Japanese squad, with coach Hajime Moriyasu able to call on Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino as well as Mallorca’s exciting winger Takefusa Kubo, who is on loan from Real Madrid.

Japan Team Odds To Win World Cup

Japan is one of the big outsiders for the World Cup at 300/1 (+30000).

As mentioned, they have some decent players who have the talent to cause the opposition problems, but it would be a major shock if they were one of the teams involved at the business end of the tournament.

They have been drawn in a very tough group with European heavyweights Spain and Germany, while they’ll also face Costa Rica.

It’s fair to say Group E will take some winning. Japan is 14/1 (+1400) to win the group, while they are 3/1 (+300) to qualify, which, given the caliber of opposition in the group, would be a massive achievement.

As mentioned, Japan has never gone past the round of 16 stages and they are 11/1 (+1100) – original odds: 17/2 (+850) – to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, with a spot in the semi-finals priced at 33/1 (+3300) – original odds: 25/1 (+2500).

If you’re feeling very optimistic, then the Japanese are 150/1 (+15000) – original odds: 80/1 (+8000) – to make it to the final.

How To Bet On Japanese Team In Qatar

If any of the above Japan odds catch your eye, you may be tempted to take the next steps and place a bet on them.

To help you with that, we’ve detailed a list of popular types of bets below to keep in mind when betting on Japan at the World Cup this winter.

To give yourself the best chance of a winning bet, it’s vital to understand the intricacies of each bet type.

Player Prop Bets

During a Japan game at the World Cup, you may choose to bet on Takumi Minamino to score anytime given the talent he has.

This would be a player prop bet, which is based on a player’s performance during a game.

Team Prop Bets

Although perhaps unlikely, when Japan face Germany you may fancy them to turn in a solid defensive performance and keep a clean sheet in the process.

This is a team prop bet, which is a bet based on a team’s performance during a game.

Asian Handicap

Slightly different to the last two markets, the Asian handicap is a market that brings the odds of a game closer together by providing a handicap to one team.

This gives one team a virtual advantage and also removes the eventuality of a draw.

If Japan were coming up against Spain at the World Cup, they would be the underdogs, so the handicap might be two and a half goals, with Spain as favourites on -2.5 goals and Japan on +2.5 goals.

If you fancied Spain to win by more than three goals, then you’d back them with the 2.5 goal disadvantage, while if you felt Japan would lose by less than three goals, or draw or win, you’d do the opposite.

Goal Lines

Goal lines bets give you the chance to bet on the total number of goals that you think will be scored in a match.

When Japan takes on Germany, you might believe it will be a tight game, so you could opt to bet on over 1.5 goals to be scored in total.

Totals Bets

Totals bets, meanwhile, let you bet over or under on the total number of goals that will be scored in a game.

A sportsbook may project there to be two goals scored in the Japan v Germany match.

A totals bet would then let you bet on whether you think there will be more or fewer goals scored in the game than the projected two.

How To Sign Up At Sportsbook & Place A Bet On Japan

Now you’ve got an understanding of the various types of betting markets out there in the world of football, you’re perfectly prepared to open an account with an online sportsbook.

There will be plenty of promotions and sign-up offers around so do some homework to identify the best sportsbook out there to sign up with.

Next, identify the betting market you are looking to bet on, such as Takefusa Kubo to score first for Japan in their match against Spain, add the bet to your online betting slip before placing it.

To make things clearer, we’ve broken this down into five easy steps below:

1. First, add the odds to your on-screen betting slip once you have decided what you want to bet on.
2. Next, you must decide on your stake size before inputting it into the relevant area.
3. Check whether you need to add any money into your account to be able to place the bet and if so, deposit the required amount.
4. Once you’ve deposited the required funds, you’re ready to hit the ‘place bet’ button. You should receive confirmation that your bet has now been placed.
5. Certain sportsbooks provide a ‘cash out’ option before the end of the game, so it pays to keep an eye on your betting slip, especially if Japan’s result in question is looking in trouble.

Japan Team Overview For Qatar

Japan has a solid if an unspectacular record in World Cups.

This will be their seventh consecutive appearance in football’s biggest competition and in the 21 matches they’ve played, they’ve won five of them and drawn five too.

They’ve made it out to the round of 16 three times, including when they co-hosted the tournament in 2002 alongside South Korea.

The most recent of those appearances in the last 16 came in Russia in 2018 where their only win came against Colombia.

In beating the South American side, they became the first Asian nation to beat a team from South America.

It was a win that helped them qualify for the knockout stages, but they were beaten 3-2 by Belgium in the round of 16.

Key Football Players

The Japanese squad is one of the more experienced in the World Cup with an average age of well over 25 years of age.

A number of their players have big tournament experience, having been part of the squad in Russia in 2018, and they’ll be looking to draw on what they learned there when they play in Qatar.

There is plenty of Premier League experience within the squad with former Southampton center-back Maya Yoshida the nation’s captain.

The 34-year-old, who now plays for Sampdoria in Italy, is vastly experienced having played 121 times for his country.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu has several other exciting options at his disposal with the likes of Takumi Minamino, Takefusa Kubo, and Kaoru Mitoma all possessing plenty of attacking flair and guile.

While Minamino didn’t play that regularly for Liverpool, he never let Reds manager Jurgen Klopp down when asked upon and has a solid goalscoring record for his nation too.

He’s scored 17 goals in 43 appearances and his goals will be crucial in Japan’s bid to go deep in the tournament this winter.

Though only a newcomer to the Japanese squad, Mitoma has begun his international career in fine style, scoring twice in his first three appearances.

They came in an important fixture too as his two goals saw Japan beat Australia – the side who were hot on their heels in their World Cup qualifying group.

Injury List

Japan have a few injury concerns to be worried about.

Midfielders Ao Tanaka, Hidemasa Morita and winger Takuma Asano have all picked up worrying injuries over the past two months and are doubts to feature at all for Japan this tournament. 

Furthermore, two of their first-choice defenders have suffered injury issues this campaign with captain Maya Yoshida troubled by thigh problems and Arsenal’s right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu having also had fitness issues.

Both are crucial at the back for Japan and their coach Hajime Moriyasu will be desperately hoping both are fully fit when the team head to Qatar in November.

Coaching & Technical Staff

Japan is led by 54-year-old Hajime Moriyasu, who has been on the job since August 2018.

He has a very good record in charge, having won 34 of his 48 games as manager, and he’ll be hoping his side can continue the momentum in Qatar.

Prior to his time managing the Japanese national team, he was in charge of the Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where he was at the helm for over five years.

He managed over 250 games in his time at the club and surely learned plenty whilst he was there – skills he transferred to national management.

Moriyasu is supported by his assistant Akinobu Yokouchi. He has been working alongside Moriyasu since the manager started his role in August 2018 and they have built up a good partnership together.

Completing the Japanese coaching team are Takashi Shimoda, the goalkeeping coach, Ryoichi Matsumoto, the fitness coach, and Takeshi Ono, the technical assistant.

All have been working with Moriyasu since he took the job in 2018.

Japan Team Road To Qatar

Japan enjoyed a really solid World Cup qualifying campaign, having lost just two of their 10 AFC Group B fixtures.

They finished second in the group, just a point behind Saudi Arabia and comfortably ahead of Australia in the third spot.

They won seven of their matches, but having scored 12 times and shipping just four goals, it’s clear this is a side that’s built on keeping it tight at the back.

That’s surely a gameplan they’ll employ at the World Cup in Qatar and with plenty of experience in their ranks, they’ll be confident of keeping the opposition quiet.

That won’t be easy with the likes of Germany and Spain and the attacking talent both sides have, but Japan is streetwise and won’t go down easily.

They scored plenty of their goals in the latter stages of matches in the qualifying and you’d imagine they’ll look to beat teams on the counter-attack or via set-pieces, whilst keeping it tight at the back.

Don’t be surprised if we see the Japanese lining up with five defenders, especially against Germany and Spain.

If they do, it will be a clear demonstration they plan to frustrate teams and catch them on the break as opposed to going toe-to-toe with them.

Japan’s World Cup History

Qatar will mark Japan’s seventh appearance at the World Cup.

Their best finishes came in 2002 as hosts and also in 2010 and 2018 when they reached the round of 16. While they lost to Belgium in 2018, they might have been a touch disappointed on the other two occasions.

They looked to have solid chances against Turkey in 2002, especially on home soil, and also against Paraguay in 2018, but lost 1-0 and on penalties.

They look to have their work cut out to make the knockout stages this year with a very tough draw against Germany and Spain in Group E.

Japanese Fans

Japanese football fans will be out in force in Qatar and expect them to really get behind their team.

They often bring musical instruments with them to increase the noise they generate and it’s also customary for them to cover themselves in face paint.

The Japanese fans were heralded at the most recent World Cup in Russia after staying behind after their victory over Colombia to help clean the stadium.

Equipped with large rubbish bags, the supporters marched through the rows picking up rubbish, leaving the stadium as neat as they had found it.