The Japanese refer to the match as the "Agony of Doha" (Japanese: ドーハの悲劇, romanized: Dōha no higeki),[note 1] 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" (Korean: 도하의 기적, romanized: Doha-ui gijeok).

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.

Dutch coach Hans Ooft was sacked weeks after the match and the elimination effectively ended World Cup aspirations for the majority of the team, most notably Ruy Ramos and Miura, Japan's top scorer in the campaign.

The Agony of Doha would eventually serve as an inspiration for Japan's future World Cup qualification campaigns to this day.

In 2022, Japan returned to Qatar to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and qualified in the group stage defeating Germany and Spain, however they 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.

In comparison to increasing success of the Japanese side, Iraq has repeatedly missed the opportunity to qualify for every World Cup.

In addition, sectarian conflicts and internal turmoil have prevented Iraq from achieving a greater status in Asian football.

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.