Japan is reaping the benefits of the FIFA Forward programme that has boosted youth football in the country with an impressive crop of young talent led by Takefusa Kubo playing a central role in the Samurai Blue becoming the first country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26™.

When Kubo scored his side’s second goal in the 2-0 victory over Bahrain that meant they joined co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States at next year’s 48-team tournament, it was just the latest highlight in a career that was kickstarted by Japan’s highly competitive youth system.

"I remember the U-18 Premier League clearly, because it was one of my first league competitions after I came back from Spain,” explained Real Sociedad de Fútbol forward Kubo, who after returning from a four-year stint at FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy represented FC Tokyo in the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Premier League.

“Playing against top players of the same age group was a good experience for me and I feel it is a benefit for all the players participating. I think there are many players, not just myself, who improved their game through this competition and became national team players, so the level is clearly top class at this age group."

The Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Premier League and its U-15 counterpart was established as the Japan Football Association (JFA) sought to increase the competitiveness and quality of its youth competitions. The two flagship tournaments – along with a number of initiatives organised for aspiring players in the country – have been underpinned by funding from the FIFA Forward programme since the latter’s introduction in 2016.

The result has been the development of a constant stream of talent that has now extended Japan’s proud record of featuring at every FIFA World Cup™ since 1998. No fewer than 10 members of Hajime Moriyasu’s squad for the March 2025 international window had played in the competitions, with two players, Mao Hosoya and Kota Takai, having competed at both U-15 and U-18 level.

"I was part of the U-18 team to win the Premier League EAST in 2022 but unfortunately lost the final, so that was a bitter moment for me,” said Takai, a 20-year-old centre-back at Kawasaki Frontale. “But the experience of playing in a top quality league throughout the year definitely improved my game and I believe it pushed me to be promoted to the first team at Kawasaki."

The youth system is a cornerstone of The JFA Pledge for 2050, which sets out the ultimate goal of winning the FIFA World Cup by 2050. Another indicator of it taking Japanese football in the right direction was the country’s men’s U-23 squad emulating the senior women’s team as both reached the quarter-finals of their respective Olympic tournaments at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Almost three million USD of FIFA Forward 3.0 funding has also been allocated to support the logistics of the Samurai Blue National Team in their participation throughout FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifying.

“We are deeply grateful to FIFA for the financial support provided to the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Premier League and Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-15 Japan Football Championship during the two previous FIFA Forward cycles,” said Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, President of the Japan Football Association (JFA), who used funding from the FIFA Forward programme’s third phase to cover the Samurai Blue’s logistics en route to the FIFA World Cup 26.

“With FIFA’s contributions, we were able to elevate the standard of these youth leagues, which continue to produce top-level players for the J.League, our national teams and even European leagues. It is worth noting that many players of the Samurai Blue squad who have appeared in FWC26 AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 have in fact participated in these two competitions, which underscores the significant impact of FIFA’s support to our youth development.”