Japan national under-17 football team
The Japan national under-17 football team is a national association football youth team of Japan and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. The team were champions in the 1994 and 2006 AFC U-17 Championships, as well as the 2012 AFF U-16 Youth Championship.Squad selected for WAFF U16 Boys Championship
1993 Japan v Iraq football match
The failure to qualify and the dramatic way in which it happened caused great disappointment for Japanese fans. Football had become wildly popular in Japan with the launch of the professional J. League earlier that year and the team had never been this close to qualifying for the World Cup. Although Japan has since qualified for six consecutive World Cup finals (even co-hosting one), team members from this match are still known as and remains a rallying cry for fans.