The Japan Under-20 National Team has failed to advance to the round of 16 at the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-20 World Cup. 메이저사이트

The Japan U-20s fell 1-2 in their third match of Group C at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 against Israel at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Aug. 28. Japan scored the opening goal and had a man advantage after an opponent was sent off, but conceded a late goal to hang their heads in shame. Japan finished third in Group C with three points (W2 D2 L1) and a goal difference of -1.

The 24-nation tournament is divided into six groups, with the four best performing teams from the first and second place finishers in each group advancing to the round of 16. For Japan to advance to the round of 16, they needed to finish better than the third-place finishers in the other groups.

However, after Uruguay’s 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their third Group E match on Sept. 29, Japan found themselves out of the competition. Tunisia, the third-placed team in Group E, also lost, dropping to 3 points (W2 D2 L+1). While third place in Group F is still up for grabs, four of the top three teams are already ahead of Japan: New Zealand in Group A (P4), Slovakia in Group B (P3 D+1), Nigeria in Group D (P6) and Tunisia in Group E (P3 D+1).

This is the first time since 2001 that Japan has been eliminated in the group stage of the U-20 World Cup. In the last two tournaments, they have reached the round of 16 in consecutive years, but this year they had to pack their bags early.