Japan have surprised many by topping the so-called group of death to reach the last 16. But who is in Hajime Moriyasu's squad?
Japan have been turning heads at the World Cup with their performances on the pitch. They have beaten two former World champions in Germany and Spain respectively and have finished on top of Group E to progress to the knockouts.
Their best-ever performance at the World Cup has been reaching the round of 16 on three different occasions, and they will be looking to surprise football fans around the world in the 2022 edition by going one step further, at what will be the team's seventh consecutive appearance at the tournament.
Coach Moriyasu will have breathed a sigh of relief that his team sealed a place in Qatar at all following a rocky start to their qualification campaign, with Japan eventually finishing second in their group behind Saudi Arabia despite losing two of their opening three games.
Another tough challenge now awaits, as they are set to go up against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia on Monday.
ALSO READ:World Cup 2022 Group E: Fixtures, results, standings, squads & full details
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GOALKEEPERS
Moriyasu had a good talent pool of goalkeepers to choose from, with the experienced custodian EijiKawashimaemerging as one of the easy picks.
Shuichi Gonda and Daniel Schmidt were the other two shot stoppers to get the nod.
That means the likes of Kosei Tani, Keisuke Osako and Zion Susuki missed out in the end.
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Name
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Club
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Eiji Kawashima
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Strasbourg
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Shuichi Gonda
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Shimizu S-Pulse
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Daniel Schmidt
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Sint-Truiden
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DEFENDERS
Maya Yoshida has used all his experience so far to help guide his nation to the last 16. He is a key player alongside Ko Itakura at centre-back.
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu has been used fairly sparingly from the bench thus far as he recovers from a hamstring issue.
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Name
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Club
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Miki Yamane
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Kawasaki Frontale
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Shogo Taniguchi
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Kawasaki Frontale
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Yuto Nagatomo
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FC Tokyo
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Takehiro Tomiyasu
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Arsenal
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Hiroki Sakai
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Urawa Red Diamonds
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Ko Itakura
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Borussia Monchengladbach
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Maya Yoshida
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Schalke
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Hiroki Ito
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Stuttgart
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Yuta Nakayama
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Huddersfield Town
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MIDFIELDERS
Bundesliga pair Wataru Endo and Daichi Kamada are key in this area, with the former anchoring the midfield and the latter providing a creative spark.
Another Germany-based player, Ao Tanaka, has also proved to be a key player out in Qatar. Meanwhile, Ritsu Doan has chipped in with two vital goals.
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Name
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Club
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Wataru Endo
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Stuttgart
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Gaku Shibasaki
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Leganes
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Takumi Minamino
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Monaco
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Hidemasa Morita
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Sporting CP
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Daichi Kamada
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Eintracht Frankfurt
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Ao Tanaka
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Fortuna Dusseldorf
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Ritsu Doan
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Freiburg
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Yuki Soma
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Nagoya Grampus
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ATTACKERS
Takuma Asano has been a key forward player for Japan so far, with Junya Ito playing an important supporting role.
Brighton's Koaru Mitoma has also impressed in cameos, getting the crucial, if controversial, winning assist against Spain.
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Name
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Club
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Daizen Maeda
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Celtic
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Takefusa Kubo
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Real Sociedad
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Ayase Ueda
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Cercle Brugge
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Takuma Asano
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VfL Bochum
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Junya Ito
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Reims
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Kaoru Mitoma
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Brighton
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