According to "Soccer King," one of Japan's largest comprehensive soccer information sites, Keisuke Honda (39), who played in three World Cups (WCs) as a member of the Japan national football team, recently calmly discussed Japan's chances of winning the FIFA World Cup North America tournament, which kicks off on the 12th (Japan time), saying, "It's less than 10%, isn't it? Maybe 6% to 7%... or 5%?"

He then added, "But nothing is impossible. They've managed to win incredibly tough matches in the previous tournament (defeating Germany and Spain), so I think there's a possibility this time too, in the sense of a surprise."

When Chinese sports media like Zhibo.tv introduced this report, Chinese football fans left various comments such as, "No way it's 5%. Even Portugal is 5% to 10%, so Japan is probably 3% at best," "A Japanese person capable of calm judgment has finally appeared," "Talk about winning after achieving a spot in the top 8," "The current Japan national team is inferior compared to the previous tournament's team," and "No, I think Japan is being underestimated too much."

This tournament, co-hosted by three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—has seen an increase in participating teams from 32 in the previous edition to 48. The group stage is divided into 12 groups, with the top two teams from each group and the 8 best third-placed teams (a total of 32 teams) advancing to the knockout stage.

Japan, in Group F, will face the Netherlands on the 15th, Tunisia on the 21st, and Sweden on the 26th (all Japan time). (Translation and Editing/Yanagawa)