Yukinari Sugurawa has backed Japan to achieve their long-term ambition of winning the FIFA World Cup trophy.
The Asian side began their campaign at the ongoing 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada with a 2-2 draw against Netherlands last Sunday.
Virgil Van Dijk opened the scoring in the second half, but Japan hit back almost immediately through Keito Nakamura.
“We came here to win the World Cup”, Sugurawa said.
“We didn’t just come here for fun, we have to be ready for that [challenging to win the World Cup].
“We have to fight for that. We have to fight for our country, our family, our friends, and all of the Japanese people.
“We’re ready to go”, he added.
Crysencio Summerville put the Dutch back in front and while it looked like Japan would go on to lose the clash, Daichi Kamada came up with a last gasp equalizer to seal a 2-2 draw.
Sweden sit top of Group F with three points following their emphatic 5-1 win over Tunisia in the other group encounter.
However, Sugurawa has said that Japan possess the ability to go all the way in the tournament.
“We’ll have to prepare everything — mentally, physically — analyzing everything as well, but we have done those things. It’s a dream. I feel like I’m in a dream”, Sugurawa continued.
“To play in a World Cup was a dream since I was a kid. But we came here to win.
“Our strong point is that we always stick together [regardless of which players are available]. We never leave anyone alone.
“We always play, train and work hard together. We’ll just do what we always do. So yeah … we’ll make history, yeah?”, he concluded.
Japan will now face Tunisia in their second group game on Sunday, as they look to seal their first win at the tournament.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
