Japan has been presented with a chance for revenge in its opening match of next year's World Cup after being drawn against Colombia, Senegal and Poland in first-round Group H on Friday.
The last team to be picked from the pots in the draw at the Kremlin, Japan kicks off their its consecutive finals on June 19 in Saransk against Colombia, which eliminated the four-time Asian champions from the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Vahid Halilhodzic’s side then plays Senegal in Ekaterinburg on June 24 and Poland in Volgograd on June 28.