How To Build a Team: From Underdogs to Contenders: Japan

 

In the early days of women's international soccer, the USWNT and Germany were the dominant teams in international soccer. For a while, they both tied for the most World Cup titles, until the USWNT won its third title in 2025.   While the usual suspects kept winning at the international stage, this encouraged many countries to start funding their women's programs, and of course, made the game far more competitive.  Using the USWNT as a benchmark, there have been several times where the women's team has been outmatched during their storied career. As a USWNT fan, it hurts when they lose. As a fan of the game, it's nice to see the women's game grow. 

What I love about the women's game is that different countries, which may not have success in the men's game, are competitive in women's soccer. In men's soccer, the power is concentrated. You may not know who is going to win the World Cup, but you do know it'll most likely be a team from Europe or South America. On the other hand, on the women's side, soccer is more of a global opportunity. For example, Japan became the first Asian country (men or women) to win a World Cup. Asian countries in the past have not been competitive in international soccer. Furthermore, beyond the USWNT being dominant in North America, the Canadian women's soccer team has recently emerged as a contender as well. And with Spain recently winning the Women's World Cup in 2023, it made me wonder what it takes to build a team. 

Japan, Canada, and Spain, 10 to 20 years ago, would be the team you would not place a bet on, whether it was the Olympics or at the World Cup. They were at the bottom of the ranking, not seen as a threat, and often overlooked. It took decades for them to build the team where you can see them compete at the level that they can compete now. In the next couple of blog posts, I will break down how each team's success and how they become underdogs to contenders, and ultimately winners. 

Japan

Japan became the first Asian country, men's or women's, to win a FIFA World Cup. However, the Japanese women's national football team did not become a world champion overnight. Their rise to the top of women's soccer was the result of long-term investment, player development, and a clear identity as a team.

For decades, Japan was not viewed as a powerhouse in international soccer. They were often seen as physically weaker and faced disadvantages against larger and faster teams such as the United States and Germany. But instead of trying to match those teams physically, Japan developed a unique style built on technical precision, quick passing, movement off the ball, and discipline. Overall, this approach emphasized teamwork over individual stars. 

A pivot moment for the program came in the 1990s and early 2000s, when the Japanese Football Association began investing more seriously in women's soccer. The creation of the L League, now known as the WE League, gave players a more structured environment in which to develop. Additionally, youth academies and school programs also became more organized, helping Japan build a pipeline of technically skilled players from an early age. 

While countries like the United States had already established dominance in women's soccer, Japan spent years developing consistency at the youth level before seeing results at the senior level. Japan's success was built on patience, culminating in the 2011 Women's World Cup. Just months after the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan entered the tournament as an underdog. Very few expected them to win, especially against traditional powerhouses like Germany and the United States. However, Japan's technical style and composure under pressure allowed them to compete with the very best.

In the final against the United States, Japan came from behind twice before beating the United States in a penalty shootout. Their victory, although heartbreaking for me as a USWNT fan, made them the first Asian country to win, but more importantly, it demonstrated that there was more than one way to build a championship team.