China has only qualified for the FIFA World Cup once, in 2002, while Japan has qualified for every World Cup since 1998.
Japan has consistently been ranked higher than China in FIFA rankings, currently ranked 28th compared to China's 75th.
In the most recent Asia World Cup Qualification, China finished sixth in their group while Japan finished second in theirs.
China's national football team is known as the "Team Dragon," while Japan's national team is known as the "Samurai Blue."\n\n5. China's biggest victory in World Cup Qualification came against Bhutan in 2015 with a score of 12-0, while Japan's biggest victory came against Mongolia in 2021 with a score of 14-0.
Japan has reached the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup twice, in 2002 and 2010, while China has never advanced past the group stage.