"Japan, again, again, again, won the World Cup." Minamino of the national university is aiming to win! I want to cross the 16th round wall

Aug 28, 2025

'Japan, again, again, again, won the World Cup.' Minamino of the national university is aiming to win! I want to cross the 16th round wall
Sportschosun DB



Japanese national team players are now confidently saying that they will win the World Cup.

On the 28th, global streaming media DAZN released an interview with Takumi Minamino, a Japanese national team member who is active in AS Monaco.

Minamino's goal for the 2025-2026 season was to succeed at the World Cup. "It's important how much you can bring up your physical condition to its best in time for the World Cup. Personally, it didn't work out well during the last World Cup because I had a difficult time in AS Monaco. So this year and next year, I want to play consistently and face the World Cup"I want to play in the World Cup based on my good performance in AS Monaco."




Minamino's World Cup goal did not stop at simply putting significance on playing in good physical condition. He said "I want to cross the '16 River Wall' that Japan has never been able to cross. Since everyone is playing in the World Cup with the goal of winning, I want to do my best to contribute to that goal," he said, expressing his strong will to compete with the goal of winning the World Cup beyond the round of 16.
'Japan, again, again, again, won the World Cup.' Minamino of the national university is aiming to win! I want to cross the 16th round wall
Japan is preparing for the tournament with the goal of winning the upcoming 2026 North American World Cup. Not many countries in the world aim to win the World Cup. This is because winning the World Cup has been allowed only in very few countries so far.

In reality, Japan's chances of winning the World Cup are difficult to calculate probabilistically. For Asian countries, the semifinals are the best so far. In particular, Japan is a country that has never advanced to the quarterfinals at the World Cup. Such a country is shouting for a World Cup victory.

When the schedule for the A-match warm-up match was confirmed in October, Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu also thanked the U.S., Mexico, and Paraguay for playing against strong teams in September. In order to reach the top of the world in the World Cup, we have to win against South American countries with excellent performance"He talked about winning the World Cup in person.
'Japan, again, again, again, won the World Cup.' Minamino of the national university is aiming to win! I want to cross the 16th round wall
Sportschosun DB
Everyone knows it will be difficult for Japan to win the World Cup now, but it is also true that Japan is increasingly feeling that it is moving toward winning the World Cup. In the past two World Cups, Japan has shown a performance that is comparable to that of European powerhouses, and continues to prove its progress.

Players' continued advancement into Europe is also helping Japanese soccer develop. Minamino also said he wants to play well for the national team based on his experience at AS Monaco. "I play at a high level on a daily basis, and it's important how much experience I can get in a game under great pressure. It is very important how much you have experienced and have become accustomed to such situations in a single match such as the World Cup. Such intensity of the match may have been what Japan has lacked so far. That's why I think it's a big plus for the Japanese national team to have at least one more experience like thatHe said he moved to AS Monaco, where he could compete in the European Champions League.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.