Japan v Iraq (1994 FIFA World Cup qualification)

Six nations (Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea) competed in the final round of Asian qualification for two places at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. The six finalists played each other in Doha, Qatar in a round robin format of matches that were held between 15 and 28 October 1993. After four rounds of matches and with two points for a victory (instead of three) for each team, the standings were as follows:

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Japan	5	4	2	1	1	5	2	3
Saudi Arabia	5	4	1	3	0	4	3	1
South Korea	4	4	1	2	1	6	4	2
Iraq	4	4	1	2	1	7	7	0
Iran	4	4	2	0	2	5	7	–2
North Korea	2	4	1	0	3	5	9	–4

(Win = 2 points, draw = 1 point, loss = 0 points; tie broken by goal difference)

In the 4th round of matches, Japan defeated South Korea 1–0 taking first place in the standings going into the final match. Although just one point separated the 1st and 5th spots and only North Korea had been eliminated, Japan would have qualified for the finals with a win regardless of any other results. Japan still would have qualified with a draw as long as either South Korea or Saudi Arabia failed to win its last match and Iran did not defeat Saudi Arabia by more than four goals.

After the final round of matches, the standings looked as follows:

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Saudi Arabia	7	5	2	3	0	8	6	2
South Korea	6	5	2	2	1	9	4	5
Japan	6	5	2	2	1	7	4	3
Iraq	5	5	1	3	1	9	9	0
Iran	4	5	2	0	3	8	11	–3
North Korea	2	5	1	0	4	5	12	–7

Saudi Arabia took first place with their 4–3 victory over Iran. Japan and South Korea were even on points, but South Korea held the goal difference advantage after the three-goal victory over North Korea, winning the tie-breaker.

South Korea would tie in subsequent matches against Iraq (2–2) and Saudi Arabia (1–1) and lost a match against Japan (0–1). Had Japan won this match against Iraq, South Korea would have been eliminated even if they won the match against North Korea held on the same day. But as Japan and Iraq tied in the last minute, South Korea qualified and the match was dubbed a "miracle" by South Korean media.

Dutch coach Hans Ooft was fired weeks after the match and the elimination from the tournament effectively ended World Cup aspirations for the majority of the team, most notably legendary midfielder Ruy Ramos and the also legendary forward Kazuyoshi Miura (the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification's top scorer). Only two Japanese players who appeared in the match, Nakayama and Masami Ihara, would go on to appear in Japan's 1998 FIFA World Cup squad.

However, the disheartening result would serve as an inspiration in future World Cup qualification campaigns and to this day, the Agony of Doha is invoked by the Japanese media and fans.

After missing the 1994 edition, Japan eventually qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, before hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup along with their rival South Korea. The South Koreans dramatically beat Portugal, Italy, and Spain and ended in 4th place while Japan was eliminated in the Round of 16. Both teams lost to Turkey. It was the first time for both teams to reach the knockout phase.

They also qualified for every single FIFA World Cup edition since then, reaching the Round of 16 in three editions: in 2010, 2018 and 2022. However, in each of these occasions, Japan got eliminated in dramatic fashion. They first lost to Paraguay in 2010 in a penalty shoot-out, and then lost to Belgium in 2018 by 3-2 after conceding in the fourth minute of stoppage time after a Belgian counter-attack following a Japanese corner kick; the Japanese were leading 2–0 until the 69th minute. In 2022, Japan got knocked out again in the Round of 16, this time falling to Croatia in another penalty shoot-out that ensued after a 1-1 draw.[1][2][3]

For Iraq, this failure is just one part of the much larger World Cup drought. In comparison to increasing success of the Japanese side, Iraq has repeatedly missed the opportunity to qualify for every World Cup. Iraq has only qualified for the 1986 edition. In addition, sectarian conflicts and internal turmoil have prevented Iraq from achieving a greater status in Asian football. Since this game as well, Iraq has never beaten Japan in a competitive match, be it friendlies or major competitions since 1982, the last time Iraq won. Iraq also suffered a losing streak to Japan since this game, starting with a 1–4 defeat in 2000 AFC Asian Cup (which was Japan's first win over Iraq), until 2017 when Iraq drew Japan 1–1 to end the country's losing streak.[4]

• Iraqi Football Website
• History of Iraq National Team
• Agony amid drama in Doha on FIFA.com
• The Rising Sun Soccer News: Japanese National Team History: The Oft Era Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine

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