2026 World Cup: Japan’s head coach surprises with coded messages

Japan made a strong impression in its opening match of the 2026 World Cup against the Netherlands, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The Blue Samurai managed to come back from an early deficit twice: Nakamura answered Van Dijk’s first goal, while Kamada responded to Summerville’s goal in the final minutes of the match.

What caused a stir was the unique method used by Japan’s head coach, Moriyasu, to give instructions to his team. During the match, he and his staff repeatedly held up a whiteboard, each time displaying different numbers, written so large that they could even be seen by players on the other side of the field.

The Japanese coach’s strategy went viral on social media: each number corresponded to Moriyasu’s precise tactical instructions and plays for his players—a sort of secret code that was indecipherable to the opponents. In the final minutes, however, the board was used to tell the team how much time was left in the match, instilling a sense of urgency in the players who, in the 89th minute, scored the equalizer to make it 2-2.

The last-minute draw tastes even sweeter when considering the context of Group F: Sweden, in the other match of the group, crushed Tunisia with a decisive 5-1 victory, thus jumping to the top of the standings. The Blue Samurai, with the point earned against the Oranje, now find themselves in a far from uncomfortable position in a group that promises to be balanced and fiercely contested until the final matchday.