28 October 1993 - The Agony Of Doha

On 28 October 1993, a late Iraqi goal denied Japan their first World Cup appearance in a match Japanese supporters call "the Agony of Doha."

The two teams met on the final day of Asian Football Confederation qualification for the 1994 World Cup. With four of their five matches already played, Japan were at the top of the group with 5 points, while Iraq were three places back on 4 points. A win for Japan would have sent them through to their first-ever World Cup, while the Iraqis needed both a win and favorable results in the day's other two matches.

Playing before a crowd of 15,000 at the Al-Ahly Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Japan took a quick lead thanks to forward Kazuyoshi Miura's 5th-minute strike. The two sides then exchanged second-half goals, with forward Ahmad Radhi equalizing for Iraq in the 54th minute, followed by an 80th-minute goal from Japanese forward Masashi Nakayama to restore the Blue Samurai's advantage.

But in the 90th minute, as the Japanese supporters began making their World Cup plans, substitute Jaffar Salman headed a cross past Japanese keeper Shigetatsu Matsunaga. The match ended 2-2, eliminating both Iraq and Japan from the tournament. Saudi Arabia won the group, while Japanese arch-rivals South Korea took the second and final qualification spot.

26 June 1998 - Jamaica's Jammin' On Japan

On 26 June 1998, Jamaica earned their first and only World Cup points, beating fellow Cup debutants Japan 1-2 in the group stage. Unfortunately, it was not enough to advance and both Jamaica and Japan were eliminated from the tournament.

Jamaica, who qualified for the 1998 tournament by finishing third in the final CONCACAF table, behind the United States and Mexico, opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss to Croatia, followed by a crushing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina. Japan, meanwhile, had also lost their first two matches, but by much closer margins of 1-0 in both games.

Playing before a crowd of 39,100 at Lyon's Stade Gerland, Jamaica too a first-half lead against Japan with a 39th-minute goal from midfielder Theodore Whitmore (pictured), as the ball dropped to his feet in the middle of the box and he powered a right-footed shot past the Japanese keeper. Whitmore doubled the lead for the Reggae Boyz in the second half, making a charging run down the right side of the box, then squeezing a left-footed shot into the net from a tight angle.

Japanese forward Masashi Nakayama pulled one back in the 74th minute, but Japan were unable to find another. The defeat sent Japan to the bottom of the group, but Jamaica finished in third place and were also eliminated.

Japan returned to the World Cup in 2002 as co-hosts, advancing to the second round, and also qualified for the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. The win over Japan remains Jamaica's last appearance in a World Cup, as they have yet to qualify for another.