Japan Confirm Moriyasu Successor After Asian Cup

The Japan Football Association (JFA) has confirmed that Hajime Moriyasu will remain head coach of the Samurai Blue until the end of next year’s Asian Cup, after which Go Oiwa will take charge of the national team.

Hajime Moriyasu, who has led Japan since 2018, guided the team to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Their campaign ended in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 stoppage-time defeat to Brazil last month.

In a statement, the JFA announced that Go Oiwa, currently in charge of Japan’s Under-21 side, will become the senior team’s head coach after the Asian Cup concludes in February. “Oiwa… will take over as manager of Samurai Blue as they aim for the 2030 FIFA World Cup,” the statement said.

The Japan Football Association also confirmed that the 54-year-old former Japan international will continue managing the Under-21 team while preparing the squad for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

During his time in charge, Hajime Moriyasu has enjoyed several notable achievements with the national team. He led Japan to the 2019 Asian Cup final, where they finished runners-up to Qatar. However, the four-time champions were eliminated by Iran in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Attention now turns to the upcoming Asian Cup, where Japan will begin their Group F campaign against Indonesia on 11 January. The tournament will mark Moriyasu’s final competition before Go Oiwa begins a new chapter with the Samurai Blue, with the long-term goal of guiding the team to success at the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Do you think Go Oiwa is the right choice to lead Japan into the next World Cup cycle?