Mexican coach Javier Aguirre took charge of the Japanese national team after the end of the World Cup, which was disappointing in several ways for the Asian outfit.

They came into the tournament as the strongest teams from this part of the world, but they failed to make any impact. This led to the departure of manager Alberto Zaccheroni. Aguirre has been able to get some find referrals since taking over and this includes wins over Australia and Jamaica. They have had embarrassing defeats – most notably the 4-0 thrashing against Brazil – but the overall impact has been good.