{"id":6133,"date":"2026-05-11T04:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/?post_type=outright_markets&#038;p=6133"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:37:01","slug":"japan-world-cup-2026-odds","status":"publish","type":"outright_markets","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path to the Final &#038; Top Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Japan arrive at their eighth consecutive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/world-cup-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Cup<\/a> as a familiar dark-horse name. Priced at +10000 to lift the trophy, Samurai Blue have the experience, the squad, and the qualifying form to make a knockout impression. The market just does not see them winning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan have made each of the last seven World Cups, having never previously qualified before 1998, and have failed to escape the group stage on only three occasions. Their best World Cup return remains the 2022 Round of 16, where they lost to Croatia on penalties after topping a group that contained both Spain and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Group F and the path through the knockouts are mapped on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/world-cup-2026-fixtures-results\/\">2026 World Cup schedule<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-japan-odds-to-win-the-world-cup-2026\">Japan odds to win the World Cup 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"vcsw-sports-widgets shortcode vcsw-outright-odds\" id=\"outright-odds-1\"><script type=\"application\/json\">{\"sports_type\":\"football\",\"widget_type\":\"outright-odds\",\"show_title\":\"true\",\"competition\":\"667aabbb773e0180d8f74d65\",\"active_market\":\"Outright Winner\",\"items_to_show\":\"10\",\"data_markets\":[{\"_id\":\"Outright Winner\",\"name\":\"Outright Winner\"}]}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan sit at +10000 in the outright market, joined by the likes of Morocco, Croatia and Switzerland in the dark-horse band. Co-hosts Mexico and the USA, plus Uruguay, are a step ahead at +8000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The price reflects history rather than current form. Japan have never reached a World Cup quarter-final. The squad that beat Germany and Spain in 2022 has matured, and the qualifying campaign was straightforward, but the market is not ready to back them past a knockout round or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is the case the squad is being asked to make. Japan have the players to take a top-tier scalp again. Whether they have the depth and the consistency to do it in three knockout rounds is the open question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-japan-odds-to-win-group-f\">Japan odds to win Group F<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Group F is genuinely tough. Euro 2024 semi-finalists the Netherlands are the heavy favorites. Tunisia and Sweden, the latter under Graham Potter, complete the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Polymarket market in the widget below shows Japan as the second-favorite to top Group F, ahead of Sweden and Tunisia. Despite the strength of the Dutch, the market sees a credible Japanese path through to the knockouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-prediction-markets-futures pm-futures-root\" data-sport=\"Soccer\" data-league=\"FIFA World Cup\" data-event-id=\"polymarket_98272\" data-market-types=\"[]\" data-provider-filter=\"all\" data-selected-market=\"poly-futures-839437\">Loading futures&#8230;<\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"sq-toplist\">\n        <div class=\"sq-toplist__items\">\n\t\t\t    <div\n            class=\"sq-toplist__item\"\n            data-entity-id=\"2923\"\n            data-offer-id=\"2928\"\n    >\n\t\t            <span class=\"sq-toplist__label\">CODE: ACQUIRE05<\/span>\n\t\t        <div class=\"sq-toplist__item-container\">\n            <div class=\"sq-toplist__offer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/en\/go\/polymarket?q=us-sg1-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"Polymarket\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"8.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"logo\" class=\"sq-toplist__logo\" style=\"background:#ffffff\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/06101144\/polymarket-1.svg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t                <div class=\"sq-toplist__offer-box\">\n                    <span class=\"sq-toplist__bookmaker\">\n                        <a href=\"\/en\/go\/polymarket?q=us-sg1-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"Polymarket\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"8.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"brand_name\">Polymarket<\/a>                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"sq-toplist__offer-title is-tablet-visible\">\n                        <a href=\"\/en\/go\/polymarket?q=us-sg1-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"Polymarket\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"8.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"offer\">100% up to $50 with Code: ACQUIRE05<\/a>                    <\/span>\n                <\/div>\n                <span class=\"sq-toplist__offer-title is-mobile-visible\">\n                    <a href=\"\/en\/go\/polymarket?q=us-sg1-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"Polymarket\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"8.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"offer\">100% up to $50 with Code: ACQUIRE05<\/a>                <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"sq-toplist__buttons\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/en\/go\/polymarket?q=us-sg1-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-brand=\"Polymarket\"data-placement=\"bookmaker-offers-content-toplist\" data-rating=\"8.5\" data-position=\"1\" data-placement-details=\"cta\" class=\"sq-btn sq-btn--secondary sq-btn--full\">TRADE NOW!<\/a>                <div class=\"sq-rating\">\n                    <span class=\"sq-rating__text\">Our Score<\/span>\n                    <span class=\"sq-rating__value\">8.5<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/bet\/betting-sites\/polymarket\/\" class=\"sq-review-link\">\n                    <span>Read our review<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n\t\t\t        <\/div>\n\t\t            <div class=\"sq-toplist__item-tc\"><p>Must be 18 years or older and have a legal, U.S. residential address within the applicable state, D.C., or U.S. territories. Not available in AZ, IL, MA, MD, MI, MT, NJ, NV and OH. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2573). Chat available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/na0messaging.icarol.com\/ConsumerRegistration.aspx?org=65800&amp;pid=57&amp;cc=en-US&amp;RIF1=651580\">ncpgambling.org\/chat<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-japan-stage-of-elimination-odds\">Japan stage-of-elimination odds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The market is firm that Japan reach the knockouts for a third consecutive World Cup. They are -225 to qualify from Group F, an implied probability of 69.2%, with a group exit at +163.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stage-by-stage pricing beyond group qualification is yet to firm up across most books. The market reads Japan as a comfortable group qualifier without a defined deeper trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Group qualification<\/th><th>Latest odds<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Yes<\/td><td>-225<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No<\/td><td>+163<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-japan-world-cup-top-goalscorer-odds\">Japan World Cup top-goalscorer odds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ayase Ueda is Japan&#8217;s leading Golden Boot candidate at +12500. The 27-year-old has 16 international goals in 36 caps, including seven during the qualification cycle, and is the Eredivisie&#8217;s leading scorer this season with a phenomenal 22 goals in 25 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His domestic form is the case for the price. The case against is that Japan are not built around a single goalscorer; the Samurai Blue threat is distributed across multiple attacking outlets, and a Golden Boot would need a deep run plus near-monopoly on conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vcsw-sports-widgets shortcode vcsw-outright-odds\" id=\"outright-odds-2\"><script type=\"application\/json\">{\"sports_type\":\"football\",\"widget_type\":\"outright-odds\",\"show_title\":\"true\",\"competition\":\"667aabbb773e0180d8f74d65\",\"active_market\":\"Top Goalscorer\",\"items_to_show\":\"10\",\"data_markets\":[{\"_id\":\"Top Goalscorer\",\"name\":\"Top Goalscorer\"}]}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Full market context lives on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/world-cup-2026-top-goalscorer-betting-odds\/\">World Cup 2026 top-goalscorer odds<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faqs\">Japan at the 2026 World Cup: FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778489891507\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What group is Japan in at the 2026 World Cup?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Japan are in Group F alongside <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/netherlands-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Netherlands<\/a>, <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/sweden-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Sweden<\/a> and <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/tunisia-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Tunisia<\/a>. The draw was made in Las Vegas on 5 December 2025.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778489891508\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">When does Japan play at the 2026 World Cup?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Japan play three group-stage matches between <strong>11 June and 27 June 2026<\/strong>, with venues confirmed by FIFA across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The round of 32 follows from 28 June to 3 July, the round of 16 from 4 to 7 July, and the quarterfinals from 9 to 11 July.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778489891509\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Who is Japan&#8217;s manager at the 2026 World Cup?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><strong>Hajime Moriyasu<\/strong> returns for a second World Cup at the helm, having beaten Spain and Germany in Qatar 2022 before falling to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778489891510\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Are Japan favorites to win the 2026 World Cup?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Japan&#8217;s odds to win the 2026 World Cup are around <strong>+8000<\/strong> at leading US sportsbooks, an implied probability of about 1%. Japan sit as the AFC standard-bearer in the outright market, priced ahead of all other Asian sides. For full market context see our <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/world-cup-2026-outright-betting-odds\/\">World Cup 2026 winner odds page<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778489891511\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can Japan reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Japan have been knocked out in the round of 16 in their last two World Cups (by Belgium in 2018, by Croatia in 2022). Breaking that ceiling in North America with the most complete generation in Japan&#8217;s history \u2014 Kubo, Mitoma, Endo \u2014 is the realistic goal and would be a landmark Asian achievement.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japan arrive at their eighth consecutive World Cup as a familiar dark-horse name. Priced at +10000 to lift the trophy, Samurai Blue have the experience, the squad, and the qualifying form to make a knockout impression. The market just does not see them winning. Japan have made each of the last seven World Cups, having&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":393,"featured_media":6131,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"japan world cup 2026 odds","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path & Picks | Squawka","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6133","outright_markets","type-outright_markets","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path &amp; Picks | Squawka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path to the Final &amp; Top Picks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T15:37:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/\",\"name\":\"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path & Picks | Squawka\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T08:58:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-21T15:37:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#breadcrumb\"},\"mainEntity\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Outright markets\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path to the Final &#038; Top Picks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka US\",\"description\":\"Soccer News and Predictions | Stats, Betting\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Squawka US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/23072352\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/23072352\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Squawka US\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/\"],\"description\":\"Squawka is a football editorial site covering the Premier League, Champions League, MLS, Liga MX, FIFA World Cup 2026 and the wider international game. We publish match previews, tactical analysis, player and team stats, outright odds, betting tips, streaming guides and long-form features for a committed football audience. Founded in the UK and part of OneTwenty Group, Squawka now runs localised editions for the UK (squawka.com\/en\/), United States (squawka.com\/us\/), Mexican-Spanish (squawka.com\/us-es\/), Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana. Each edition is editorially tailored to its market, with locale-specific competition focus, operator compliance and commercial partnerships. Traffic skews toward high-intent football readers \u2014 supporters researching fixtures, form, odds and where to watch \u2014 making Squawka a strong fit for sportsbook, prediction-market, DFS, streaming and sports-merchandise brands across the UK, Europe and North America.\",\"foundingDate\":\"2012-06-11\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507\",\"position\":1,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507\",\"name\":\"What group is Japan in at the 2026 World Cup?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Japan are in Group F alongside <a href=\\\"\/us\/outright-markets\/netherlands-world-cup-2026-odds\/\\\">Netherlands<\/a>, <a href=\\\"\/us\/outright-markets\/sweden-world-cup-2026-odds\/\\\">Sweden<\/a> and <a href=\\\"\/us\/outright-markets\/tunisia-world-cup-2026-odds\/\\\">Tunisia<\/a>. The draw was made in Las Vegas on 5 December 2025.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508\",\"position\":2,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508\",\"name\":\"When does Japan play at the 2026 World Cup?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Japan play three group-stage matches between <strong>11 June and 27 June 2026<\/strong>, with venues confirmed by FIFA across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The round of 32 follows from 28 June to 3 July, the round of 16 from 4 to 7 July, and the quarterfinals from 9 to 11 July.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509\",\"position\":3,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509\",\"name\":\"Who is Japan's manager at the 2026 World Cup?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<strong>Hajime Moriyasu<\/strong> returns for a second World Cup at the helm, having beaten Spain and Germany in Qatar 2022 before falling to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510\",\"position\":4,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510\",\"name\":\"Are Japan favorites to win the 2026 World Cup?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Japan's odds to win the 2026 World Cup are around <strong>+8000<\/strong> at leading US sportsbooks, an implied probability of about 1%. Japan sit as the AFC standard-bearer in the outright market, priced ahead of all other Asian sides. For full market context see our <a href=\\\"\/us\/outright-markets\/world-cup-2026-outright-betting-odds\/\\\">World Cup 2026 winner odds page<\/a>.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511\",\"position\":5,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511\",\"name\":\"Can Japan reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Japan have been knocked out in the round of 16 in their last two World Cups (by Belgium in 2018, by Croatia in 2022). Breaking that ceiling in North America with the most complete generation in Japan's history \u2014 Kubo, Mitoma, Endo \u2014 is the realistic goal and would be a landmark Asian achievement.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path & Picks | Squawka","description":"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path to the Final & Top Picks","og_description":"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | US","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2026-05-21T15:37:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Squawka","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/","name":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path & Picks | Squawka","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-11T08:58:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-21T15:37:01+00:00","description":"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#breadcrumb"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/05\/06105333\/Japan_11-01-26_ID3D5MRK7-1024x683-1.jpg","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Outright markets","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path to the Final &#038; Top Picks"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/","name":"Squawka US","description":"Soccer News and Predictions | Stats, Betting","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#organization","name":"Squawka US","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/23072352\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/23072352\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"Squawka US"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/"],"description":"Squawka is a football editorial site covering the Premier League, Champions League, MLS, Liga MX, FIFA World Cup 2026 and the wider international game. We publish match previews, tactical analysis, player and team stats, outright odds, betting tips, streaming guides and long-form features for a committed football audience. Founded in the UK and part of OneTwenty Group, Squawka now runs localised editions for the UK (squawka.com\/en\/), United States (squawka.com\/us\/), Mexican-Spanish (squawka.com\/us-es\/), Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana. Each edition is editorially tailored to its market, with locale-specific competition focus, operator compliance and commercial partnerships. Traffic skews toward high-intent football readers \u2014 supporters researching fixtures, form, odds and where to watch \u2014 making Squawka a strong fit for sportsbook, prediction-market, DFS, streaming and sports-merchandise brands across the UK, Europe and North America.","foundingDate":"2012-06-11"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507","position":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891507","name":"What group is Japan in at the 2026 World Cup?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Japan are in Group F alongside <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/netherlands-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Netherlands<\/a>, <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/sweden-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Sweden<\/a> and <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/tunisia-world-cup-2026-odds\/\">Tunisia<\/a>. The draw was made in Las Vegas on 5 December 2025.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891508","name":"When does Japan play at the 2026 World Cup?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Japan play three group-stage matches between <strong>11 June and 27 June 2026<\/strong>, with venues confirmed by FIFA across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The round of 32 follows from 28 June to 3 July, the round of 16 from 4 to 7 July, and the quarterfinals from 9 to 11 July.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891509","name":"Who is Japan's manager at the 2026 World Cup?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"<strong>Hajime Moriyasu<\/strong> returns for a second World Cup at the helm, having beaten Spain and Germany in Qatar 2022 before falling to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891510","name":"Are Japan favorites to win the 2026 World Cup?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Japan's odds to win the 2026 World Cup are around <strong>+8000<\/strong> at leading US sportsbooks, an implied probability of about 1%. Japan sit as the AFC standard-bearer in the outright market, priced ahead of all other Asian sides. For full market context see our <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/world-cup-2026-outright-betting-odds\/\">World Cup 2026 winner odds page<\/a>.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511","position":5,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/outright-markets\/japan-world-cup-2026-odds\/#faq-question-1778489891511","name":"Can Japan reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Japan have been knocked out in the round of 16 in their last two World Cups (by Belgium in 2018, by Croatia in 2022). Breaking that ceiling in North America with the most complete generation in Japan's history \u2014 Kubo, Mitoma, Endo \u2014 is the realistic goal and would be a landmark Asian achievement.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"yoast_title":"Japan World Cup 2026 Odds: Squad, Path & Picks | Squawka","yoast_description":"Japan World Cup 2026 odds for Samurai Blue: Group F betting markets, Ayase Ueda top-goalscorer prices and dark-horse outlook for North America.","yoast_keyword":"japan world cup 2026 odds","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/outright_markets\/6133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/outright_markets"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/outright_markets"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/outright_markets\/6133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7977,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/outright_markets\/6133\/revisions\/7977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}