Japan graduates from 'dark horse' status as Ibrahimovic calls them 'real title contenders'

The fortunes of teams labeled "dark horses" ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America are diverging sharply.

Among the surprise contenders identified by major international media, Japan, Norway and Mexico have drawn the most praise for their performances so far. Ecuador and Senegal, by contrast, have fallen short of expectations since the tournament got underway.

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox that Japan should no longer be called a dark horse. "Japan is a team that consistently performs at that level," he said. "They are not a dark horse — they are a real title contender."

Japan is currently competing in Group F — widely dubbed the "group of death" — alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.

After holding title favorite the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in their opener, Japan routed Tunisia 4-0 on Sunday, moving to four points with one win and one draw and all but securing a place in the round of 32.

"A 4-0 win and dominant performance at the World Cup is never down to luck," Ibrahimovic said. "It comes from the quality of the squad, team discipline, confidence and players who perfectly understand their roles."

Norway, led by Erling Haaland of Manchester City, has also emerged as a team everyone is watching after clinching a round-of-32 berth early. Norway beat Iraq 4-1 in their Group I opener and followed that up Tuesday with a 3-2 win over Senegal.

Haaland scored twice in each match.

Mexico, the host nation in Group A, also advanced from the group stage with two wins and six points.

Senegal, who went unbeaten through African qualifying with seven wins and three draws, sit third in Group I with two losses, behind France and Norway. Ecuador, meanwhile, are in a difficult position in Group E after losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast and drawing 0-0 with Curaçao, leaving them facing a daunting final group match against group leaders Germany.

Japan's 4-0 victory is the most goals scored by an AFC member nation in a single World Cup finals match, surpassing the previous record of three. North Korea set that mark at the 1966 tournament in England, netting three times against Portugal in the quarterfinals — though they lost 3-5. Japan later matched the record by beating Denmark 3-1 in the group stage at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

FIFA noted the milestone, saying that in 151 World Cup matches played by AFC nations, no team had ever scored four goals in a single game. "Japan became the first," FIFA said.

Japan also set a new record for the largest winning margin by an Asian nation at the World Cup. The previous record was a two-goal margin — a mark South Korea also holds, having beaten Poland, Greece and Germany each 2-0 in 2002, 2010 and 2018, respectively.

Ueda, who scored twice, became the first Japanese player to score multiple goals in a single World Cup match.

Kamada Daichi, who opened the scoring just 3 minutes and 27 seconds after kickoff, became the fastest-scoring Japanese player in World Cup history.

Kamada, who also scored against the Netherlands in the opening 2-2 draw, became only the second Japanese player to score in consecutive World Cup matches, after Inamoto Junichi in 2002.

Head coach Moriyasu, leading Japan at the World Cup for the second consecutive tournament, also set a record as the winningest manager in Japan's World Cup history.

안정환, 손흥민 조기 교체 논란에…“되지도 않는 것들이 떠들어”

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