Talk was focused on whether England would face Japan in the knockout stages of the football 2018 FIFA World Cup, after both teams led their groups after two games at the group stage.
The Daily Mail was one of the many news outlets speculating on the possibility of the two sides meeting in its report on 28 June. It described Japan’s last game of the group stage, against Poland, as “farcical” due to a lack of action by the Blue Samurais.
England were defeated by Belgium in their last group stage match. This left England to face Colombia and Japan to face Belgium in their first knockout matches.