Japan's national team has changed practice venues in Monterrey ahead of the World Cup after players encountered an uneven pitch marred by patches of dirt at their original training ground. The Japanese delegation said it has switched from the facility for Liga MX club UANL Tigres — site of Wednesday's practice — to El Barrial,

Squad, line-ups and fixture schedule for the Japan team in USA · Canada · Mexico

Kamada has been named in Japan's World Cup squad and is expected to be one of the most important midfield presences for Japan throughout the

In 2005, with two World Cup appearances now under their belt, the Japan Football Association brought forward the timeline: 2050 was now the target. The Samurai Blue have now featured at every World Cup since their debut in 1998;

Japan become one of the first beneficiaries of the new time-limited substitution rule as they score while opponents Iceland have just 10 players on the pitch.

Takefusa Kubo is hoping Japan have learned from their experience in Qatar and can go a step further in North America.

The Dutch look to have a strong defence and midfield but will that be enough to top a tricky group? From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing.

Japan's World Cup squad focused on acclimatizing to high temperatures Wednesday as they practiced at their pre-tournament