National team legend Keisuke Honda has offered himself as Japan’s next head coach.
The former Japan forward, now one of the country’s most well-liked World Cup commentators, made his pitch this week. It came just days after the Samurai Blue were knocked out of the 2026 tournament by Brazil in the round of 32.
His timing was no coincidence. Reports in Japan say current boss Hajime Moriyasu is set to be handed a fresh one-year deal despite that exit — and Honda has built his whole argument around that short-term offer. It is an unusual way to apply for one of Asian football’s biggest jobs.
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Keisuke Honda says Japan should give him a year
Japan’s tournament ended in cruel fashion.
Kaishu Sano put Moriyasu’s side ahead against Brazil in Houston, and they carried the lead deep into stoppage time before Gabriel Martinelli struck a 96th-minute winner to complete a 2-1 comeback. It denied Japan a first knockout-stage win at a World Cup.
Moriyasu has been in charge since 2018 and has now taken Japan out of the group at back-to-back World Cups. Even so, reports from the Japanese press suggest the Japan Football Association will offer only a one-year extension — enough to cover next January’s Asian Cup.
That is the opening Honda seized on. Posting to his X account, the former midfielder made no effort to soften the message.
He said: “I know this might be controversial, but let me say it anyway. I saw the news that they’re offering Coach Hajime Moriyasu a one-year contract extension, but if it’s just a stopgap offer because they can’t find any other candidates for the next coach, then why not try me for a year?
“If we lose the Asian Cup, you can fire me without any questions asked. I’m ready to take on that challenge.”
Honda won 98 caps and played at three World Cups, and he has already coached at international level, taking charge of Cambodia’s national team while still an active player. Now 40, he is still turning out in the Singapore Premier League.
He has also been one of the breakout figures of this World Cup away from the pitch.
His blunt, offbeat television commentary has been immensely popular, and plenty of supporters have warmed to the thought of him in the dugout.
The federation looks set to go another way. Moriyasu is expected to stay on, with Japan Under-21 Koji Oiwata coach reportedly lined up as the longer-term successor rather than Honda.
Worth a try, though.
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