Comments made by Keisuke Honda, who provided on-site commentary for the North/Central America World Cup during the September 1 broadcast of ‘news zero,’ became a hot topic on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board. Japan’s national team went undefeated through the group stage (1 win, 2 draws) but was eliminated in the Round of 32 after losing 1-2 to Brazil in the first knockout round. Responding to fans who suggested the next goal should be ‘reaching the quarterfinals,’ Honda dismissed the idea, saying, ‘That’s setting the bar too low.’ He also questioned calls for him to obtain a coaching license, asking, ‘Since when did being a coach become such a heavy burden?’ Thread reactions were split between critics who said he should get certified before speaking out, and defenders who argued his track record speaks for itself.
Keisuke Honda Responds to Calls to Lower the World Cup Goal from ‘Champions’ to ‘Quarterfinals’: ‘That’s Too Low a Bar’ — On Coaching Licenses: ‘Since When Did Being a Soccer Coach Become Such a Heavy Responsibility?’
Keisuke Honda appeared on news zero, which aired Tuesday, September 1. He provided commentary on Japan’s matches at this year’s North/Central America World Cup in soccer, watching on-site as the younger players competed in the tournament he himself once played in.
Japan advanced from the group stage with a historic first-ever unbeaten record (1 win, 2 draws), but lost 1-2 to Brazil in the first knockout round, exiting at the Round of 32. Having watched it all in person, Honda shared his candid impressions.
Guess I'll crack open a beer while watching Peace-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube.
4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:04
No, but seriously, the goal should first be winning the first knockout-round match.
5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:05
Quit whining and just get the license if you want to be a coach, lol.
7AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:07
If he's not a properly trained coach, he'll probably end up abusing players (power harassment).
8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:07
The license requirement isn't from Japan, it's from FIFA, right? Just get it already—Honda could pass it in no time.
10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:09
Japan has faced beatable opponents in the knockout stage plenty of times before and still couldn't win. I think it's a mental issue.
11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:10
Even if he had a license, no thanks to Honda as coach.
12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:10
First surpass the club-manager track records of Takeshi Okada, Akira Nishino, and Hajime Moriyasu, then talk.
13AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:11
I want the players and coaches themselves to keep saying 'our goal is to win it all,' no matter how much people mock them or nitpick. If they themselves started saying 'quarterfinals,' I'd be like, 'what do you think our tax money is funding this for?'
14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:13
(・д・) Sailed through qualifying. Managed a draw thanks to the Dutch coach's blunders and Japan's effort. Tunisia—a team so falling apart they changed coaches mid-tournament. Sweden—played an even match against a team that barely scraped through the European playoff.
15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:13
If he's got time to whine like this, he should just go get the license first.
17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:15
Of course it's a heavy responsibility—a pro coach carries the fate of an entire professional club on his shoulders.
18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:15
Countries stronger than Japan: Spain, Argentina, England, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Netherlands, Morocco, Norway, Croatia, France. Honda: 'Quarterfinals? Too easy' (＾∇＾)
20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:17
Don't try to jump straight into managing the senior national team with zero coaching experience. Work your way up properly. It sets a bad example for kids too—skipping all the steps just because you only want the glamorous job of national team coach.
21AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:17
Re: #1
Has he done anything besides ABEMA commentary?
22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:17
Even Zidane has a license.
23AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:19
Zidane is France's national coach, right? Germany has Klopp, the Netherlands has Xavi, and Japan has… Oiwa (；´Д｀)
25AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:21
It's just entertainment, but they still require a license—how dumb is that, lol.
26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:21
Well, the players only get this one shot right now, so of course they'll go in with the mindset of aiming to win it all. But don't go broadcasting that to the media/public—it'll mislead people. Viewers just want to watch with realistic expectations in mind. Throw around a vague 'we're aiming to win' and it just makes the audience anxious watching. Set clear, grounded benchmarks so people can actually enjoy watching.
29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:23
Under the 'Zico system' (the loophole once used to install Zico as Japan coach without a license), he could do it anytime—it just means nobody's actually going to let you be coach. He couldn't even get results in Cambodia or wherever.
30AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:24
A great player doesn't automatically become a great coach. Is Honda even cut out for coaching in the first place?
31AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:24
A Honda-led Japan would probably pull good ratings, but it seems likely we'd end up with a team that can't reach the knockout stage again. Still, it'd be entertaining, so part of me wants to see him try.
32AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:25
This is the same Honda that Takeshi Okada told, 'That's just wrong.'
33AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:26
He'd probably just show up in a fancy suit trying to look cool while coaching.
34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:27
If you want to change the rule, I think you should get certified first and then make your proposal… What he's saying basically amounts to 'I don't have a license but I wanna be a coach!' He's not a toddler.
35AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:27
Didn't he just run away after the disastrous showing at the Brazil World Cup, where the goal was also 'win it all'?
36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:27
Japan's at the Round of 32, remember. Round of 16, then quarterfinals—even reaching the quarterfinals would be huge.
39AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:29
South Korea sets 'win the World Cup' as their goal → Japan: (laughs)
Japan sets 'win the World Cup' as their goal → the world: (laughs)
That's how it's seen.
63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:04
The reality is Makino is actually closer to being national-team-coach material. Honda, quit dragging your feet and start getting your license while shifting into coaching/coaching-staff work.
66AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:06
Re: #63
I used to think Makino seemed shady, but turns out he's surprisingly solid.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The coaching license system isn’t a JFA-specific rule so much as a framework of coaching qualifications set by the AFC and FIFA, positioned as the minimum requirement for taking charge of a national team or a J1 club (as mentioned in comment #8). Honda has a history of managing Cambodia’s national team without holding the required license, and has long publicly argued that ‘if you have a track record, you don’t need a license.’ In this news zero appearance, he pushed back on both the post-World Cup argument that ‘the goal should be lowered to the quarterfinals’ and the calls for him to obtain a coaching license. What split the thread was how to weigh the gap between how loudly someone speaks and what they’ve actually accomplished. Those calling for him to get certified argued that, since he’d be responsible for a pro club or a national team, a license serves as a baseline guarantee of competence. Those defending him argued that the opinion of someone with a proven track record is worth hearing regardless of whether he holds a license. One point readers might easily miss: the license requirement isn’t just a promotional formality—it’s a system grounded in international standards.
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