The Qatar 2022 campaign
Japan beat Germany and Spain 2–1 after trailing in both matches. Between those victories, they lost to Costa Rica, making the group-winning finish less straightforward than a list of famous opponents suggests. Croatia then recovered from Japan's lead in the round of 16 and won on penalties. Japan left with six group points and a knockout exit after a level match.
Reading the record
Japan recorded 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat across 4 matches, scoring 5 goals and conceding 4. FIFA’s match summaries record 13 attempts on target from 42 total attempts during their campaign.
Shoot-outs decide which team advances, but their kicks are excluded from the goal totals above. Matches decided on penalties count as draws in this win–draw–loss record; extra-time goals count towards the match score.
Matches to revisit
The Germany and Spain games reward comparison, while Costa Rica and Croatia complete the picture beyond the two celebrated wins.
Final Group E standings
Japan finished first with 6 points. The top two teams advanced to the round of 16.
| Team | P | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Germany | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 3 |
The route, match by match
- 23 Nov · Group E
Germany 1–2 Japan ↗
Japan change the second half
Khalifa International Stadium · 16:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 27 Nov · Group E
Japan 0–1 Costa Rica ↗
Costa Rica interrupt Japan's momentum
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium · 13:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 1 Dec · Group E
Japan 2–1 Spain ↗
Japan take first place from behind
Khalifa International Stadium · 22:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 5 Dec · Round of 16
Japan 1–1 Croatia ↗
Shoot-out: 1–3 (Japan – Croatia)
Croatia survive Japan's lead and win the shoot-out
Al Janoub Stadium · 18:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics
Sources and method
FIFA’s complete Qatar 2022 match-report hub ↗
Campaign totals are calculated from Japan’s match results and the individual FIFA statistical reports linked on each match page. The overview is an editorial retrospective by Qatar22 Editorial.