Japan went winless in the inaugural 1991 Women's World Cup, reached the knockout stage in 1995 (ousted 4-0 by the USA) and was eliminated in the next three World Cups before lifting the title in 2011 with a shootout win after a 2-2 final tie with the USA. On the women's side, the USA won World Cups in 1991, 1999, 20. The USA exited at the same stage, 3-1 to the Netherlands. In 2022 in Qatar, Japan beat two former world champions, Spain and Germany, before bowing out to 2018 runner-up and eventual 2022 third-place finisher Croatia on penalties. Each reached the round of 16 in three of the last four World Cups. Men's World Cup performances have been similar, including second-round passage as host - the USA in 1994 and Japan in 2002 - after first-round elimination four years earlier. On the men's side, MLS launched in 1996 and the J-League played its first season in 1993. No other countries that have come so late to the game, that didn't rank soccer as their national sport, have been so successful internationally as the USA and Japan, on both the women's and men's side. For the USA, the evolution of Japanese soccer makes for an interesting study.
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