Kings of Japan: three wins, a penalty with Piqué and a bigger dream
Murash FC went to Milan to earn another chance. A saved President Penalty, three wins and fans calling for a Kings League in Japan drive this 14-minute film.
One saved penalty. Three wins. One question looking towards 2027. In Kings of Japan, the 14-minute documentary released on 22 October by Kings World, Junichi Kato and Murash FC turn a trip to Milan into a test of what Japan could bring to the Kings League.
The side arrived on the back of several defeats. Kato says at the outset that they would give everything to earn an invitation to the next tournament. The camera follows that ambition from the dressing room to stands filled by supporters who travelled halfway around the world.
Three friendlies to change the story
Murash FC were not among the 16 teams at KWC Clubs 2026. Instead, they faced Italian opposition in three friendlies in Milan and won all three. For Kato, these were a chance to prove that his team deserved to return.
He believed this was the best Murash FC squad yet, shaped by a longer preparation and a stronger coaching setup. The film shows a team built on speed and intensity. Afterwards, Kato remembers the players who came to the club’s tryouts: the squad carried their hopes too.
Piqué helped him practise. The goalkeeper had other ideas
Kato had worked on the President Penalty with Gerard Piqué. The rule lets a team president step onto the pitch to score for his side. Piqué praises his progress and the willingness to take part.
Football rarely follows the script. With Murash FC leading Zeta Como 1-0, Kato shot to the left and the goalkeeper saved his penalty. He walked away smiling. The miss did not undo the work behind it or the three wins still to come.
A fan quit his job; a veteran found a new challenge
In the stands is Champ, almost 30, wearing his red mask. He says he quit his job to travel to Italy and support Murash FC. His appeal to Piqué captures what the fans want: a Kings League in Japan.
In the dressing room, a player with 16 years in the J.League admits he had only watched the Kings world tournament a few days before arriving. Its standard surprised him; the challenge made him more determined to reach the top. Another voice in the film points to the format’s relentless pace: something is always happening.
A Kings League in Japan in 2027?
Piqué recalls that Japan was part of the Kings League’s global ambition from the start and raises 2027 as a possibility. It is not an announced launch date. But the question echoes Champ’s plea from the stands. Kato, meanwhile, says he will stay close to the project, even if he has to fly in from the other side of the world.
That is the final feeling of Kings of Japan: a team that came to Milan to prove itself and left with three wins, while its supporters imagine what the next chapter could be.
