A lion, a typical symbol of the United Kingdom, wearing a Union Flag jersey with the words "WORLD CUP".

However, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and medias for their fighting spirits, as demonstrated by Japan's win over Colombia, a draw to Senegal and a strong counter offensive against heavyweight Belgium. The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup where the two countries were grouped together, and continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, such as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final and the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian champions for the second time.Featuring a high quality silver finish and soft enamel it's perfect for attaching to your clothing or lapel with the butterfly clutch on the back. The Spanish flag has two horizontal red stripes at the top and bottom, with a yellow-gold double-height stripe across the middle. Their second match ended in a draw against Senegal, with one goal scored by Takashi Inui and the other by Keisuke Honda. In March 2023, thousands queued up outside the Mong Kok stadium in Kowloon to watch the last game that the Hong Kong national team would officially play under that name.

a b "SAMURAI BLUE's Head Coach MORIYASU Hajime signs contract extension to 2026 "We want to see a new view at the next World Cup" ". While Qatar was humbled at the World Cup by being eliminated in the group stage, it is the defending Asian Cup champion and has advanced to the round of 16 with a 100% winning record. Because at the end of the day, if you are trying to create a unique people, you need to have this identity, you need myth, you need something to cement them … the national team is part of the nation-building process.Both Japan and Saudi Arabia also gained headlines for producing "unexpected" wins in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Japan earning wins against Germany and Spain and Saudi Arabia against Argentina in the group stage. With no official images released, football fans created homemade versions to demonstrate how the ball could still be in play - despite appearing to have gone out over the byeline just before Ao Tanaka's goal. The launches followed a separate round of North Korean cruise missile tests last week and a January 14 test-firing of the country's first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile. But compared to the latest two wins, 1985 in the World Cup qualifiers and 1995 in penalties at the predecessor of the East Asian Cup, it was only a friendly game and hence of considerably less historical weight. However, Japan's rapid rise since 1991 with the foundation of Japan Professional Football League helped turning the tide, and the Japanese have been able to exert domination with 13 wins, 6 draws and just 2 losses.