Japan v Iraq (1994 FIFA World Cup qualification)

In the final round of matches of the final round of Asian qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Japan and Iraq drew 2–2 in Doha, Qatar. If Japan had won the match, they would have qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Instead, Japan finished third in their group, allowing their arch rivals South Korea to qualify instead. The Japanese refer to the match as the "Agony of Doha" (ドーハの悲劇),The word for word translation of Dōha no higeki would be "Tragedy of Doha", but the "agony" translation is used more commonly in English language commentary. whereas South Koreans, because the country's national football team only qualified in the final minutes of this match, refers to it as the "Miracle of Doha"
The failure to qualify for the World Cup, and the dramatic way in which it happened, caused great disappointment for Japanese fans. Football had become very popular in Japan with the launch of the professional J. League earlier that year and the team had never been that close to qualifying for the World Cup. Although Japan has since qualified for seven consecutive World Cup finals (even co hosting one), team members from this match are still known as the "Class of Doha" (ドーハ組) and the phrase "Never forget Doha" (ドーハを忘れるな) remains a rallying cry for fans.

The match was held on 28 October 1993, simultaneously with the rest of the fifth round of matches, South Korea vs North Korea and Saudi Arabia vs Iran, held in other venues in Doha. Japan opened the scoring from a first half goal by Kazuyoshi Miura, but Iraq's Ahmed Radhi scored the equaliser just prior to half time. Japan again took the lead with a goal from Masashi Nakayama. The 2–1 score stood as the match approached the 90th minute. The matches at the other venues had ended earlier, with South Korea beating North Korea 3–0 and Saudi Arabia beating Iran 4–3. This meant Japan would have to hold onto the score in order to qualify for the World Cup, with the combination of results eliminating South Korea. However, Japan gave the ball up to Iraq, and just after the match entered stoppage time, Jaffar Omran scored a goal through a corner kick, tying the score at 2–2. The referee blew the final whistle and finished the match moments after this, eliminating both teams.

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 taking the lead against Croatia but falling in another penalty shoot out that ensued after a 1–1 draw. 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 not beaten Japan in a competitive match until 2024, when Iraq beat Japan 2 1 at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Iraq also suffered a losing streak to Japan since this game, starting with a 1–4 defeat at the 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.

Beginning with qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup, AFC has used home and away round robin format for its final qualifying round, instead of the single venue format used in 1993. However, in two of the subsequent World Cup qualifying campaigns, Japan have determined its World Cup fate in neutral site matches. In 1997, Japan and Iran finished second in their respective qualifying groups for the 1998 World Cup and met in the third place match on 16 November 1997 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The match would decide the third and last automatic qualifying spot for Asian teams and the loser would face Oceania's representative Australia in a two legged play off. Unlike the match four years before, Japan fell behind in the second half, but scored a late equaliser and eventually won 3–2 through a golden goal in extra time, earning the nation its ticket to France. This match was known as the ":ja:ジョホールバルの歓喜 (Joy of Johor Bahru") in reference to the Agony of Doha. On 8 June 2005, Japan defeated North Korea 2–0 to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Although this match was scheduled as a home match for North Korea, it was moved to Bangkok, Thailand and held behind closed doors as punishment for crowd violence in a previous match held in Pyongyang.