Could Japan be the World Cup's dark horses?

Japan went unbeaten against European opposition at the last World Cup, beating Germany and Spain in the group stage and drawing with Croatia (1-1) in the round of 16 before being eliminated on penalties. [Getty Images] There is always at least one team that defies the odds and emerges as the surprise package of a World Cup. Just ask Morocco, Russia, and Costa Rica, three nations who have all produced memorable runs deep into the knockout stages in recent years despite the modest expectations heading into the tournament. With the World Cup having expanded from 32 to 48 teams this time around, there appears to be more potential dark horses than ever before. But few nations look better equipped for a deep and unexpected run than Japan, whose blend of individual quality, recent form and all-round experience makes them one of the most intriguing outsiders in the competition. In 2022, the Samurai Blue defeated both Germany and Spain to top Group E and advance to the first knockout round. But it wasn't to be. Instead, Japan suffered familiar heartbreak as they were eliminated at the round-of-16 stage for the fourth time after a penalty shoot-out defeat by Croatia. Now, four years on, as they prepare for their opening game against the Netherlands on Sunday night (21:00 BST), there is a growing belief that this could the most successful of Japan's eight World Cup appearances. Sweden and Tunisia are the other teams in Group F, and Japan are currently unbeaten in their past nine matches against European opposition. Former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida believes the 26-man squad selected by manager Hajime Moriyasu is capable of reaching unprecedented territory in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Yoshida, 37, who captained Japan in 2022, has travelled with the squad to this tournament as a non-playing "support player" to provide leadership behind the sce "For me, reaching the quarter-finals - a stage we've never reached or even experienced before - is the main goal," Yoshida told BBC Sport. "Anything beyond that would be a bonus." 'My goal is for the team to be one of the best of the best' It is not only Yoshida who has set the bar high for Japan. Earlier this year, Moriyasu said he had his sights set on leading Japan to World Cup glory this summer. "My goal is for the team to be one of the best of the best," Moriyasu told World Soccer Magazine before the tournament. "We have raised our level little by little through our national team activity. "For me the task is to bring out the best in the players. We do have a lot of injuries but we have also proven that we have the squad to produce our best regardless of who plays" It is little surprise the 57-year-old is so confident in the players at his disposal, which includes Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace and Ao Tanaka of Leeds United. They helped Japan become the first non-host nation to secure their spot at this summer's finals after an almost perfect qualifying campaign. "Nineteen of the 26 players in Qatar were at their first World Cup," added Moriyasu. "They become the core of our team for the Asian qualifiers this time around - and they have aimed high from the start. "They have had winning the World Cup in their sights all of this time, and also maintained the mentality to keep improving towards that goal." But it is not only in Asia qualifying that Japan have impressed. Since their elimination at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they have defeated two of Europe's highest-ranked teams - England and Germany - as well as Brazil. Yoshida believes Japan's ability to compete with some of Fifa's top-ranked nations is driven by the increasing number of players featuring regularly in Europe's top five leagues. "Of course, now more players play in Europe, especially high level European competitions," said Yoshida, who was capped 127 times. "At the beginning, I was at VVV Venlo, a bottom Dutch league team, which was very good for me to have a first step, but time has changed now. Japanese players' reputation is much higher. "So now, [on a] daily basis or weekly basis, every player plays with or against World Cup level players. "That experience is a huge difference. That's the main thing for me. But shouldn't forget that that road started by the older players like [Shunsuke] Nakamura, [Hidetoshi] Nakata, Shinji Ono. "These guys are opening the door and our generation start to go and now the door is even wider." Who else could be a dark horse at the World Cup? Japan are not the only team capable of springing a surprise at this summer's World Cup. Alongside the Samurai Blue, Mexico, Ecuador, Turkey and South Korea have all been tipped as outsiders to watch over the next five weeks. "I am not sure Ecuador will score enough goals with 36-year-old Enner Valencia leading their line but they are one of my picks, along with Japan," former England striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport. "I became a bit of a celebrity in Japan when I correctly backed them to beat Germany at the last World Cup, or at least I appeared on TV over there to talk about it anyway. "They have got some excellent technical players and will be dangerous, whoever they play." Former Scotland international Rachel Corsie also highlighted Turkey as a team to watch. "Turkey could be tricky for some, and I don't know if this is really a surprise but I think Japan could go beyond where their world ranking of 18 suggests," she said. Former England and Manchester City defender Stephen Houghton backed Moriyasu's side a emerge as one of the competition's dark horses. "I really liked the way they played at Wembley," she said. Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game World Cup fixtures and group standings How to watch the World Cup on the BBC Everything you need to know about the World Cup