Group H of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place from 19 to 28 June 2018. The group consisted of Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan. The top two teams, Colombia and Japan, advanced to the round of 16. For the first time in World Cup history, the "fair play" rule was invoked to break a tie. Japan and Senegal finished with identical scores and goal differences to tie for second behind Colombia. Japan were awarded the place in the round of 16 based on receiving fewer yellow cards in their three matches.

Shinji Kagawa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club Cerezo Osaka. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time.