Japan national football team

Japan
Nickname(s)サムライ・ブルー
(Samurai Blue)[1][2]
Since 19 October 2009[3]
AssociationJapan Football Association (JFA)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
Head coachHajime Moriyasu
CaptainMaya Yoshida
Most capsYasuhito Endō (152)
Top scorerKunishige Kamamoto (75)[4]
Home stadiumSaitama Stadium 2002 (mostly)
FIFA codeJPN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 24 (6 October 2022)[5]
Highest9 (March 1998)
Lowest66 (December 1992)
First international
 Japan 0–5 China 
(Tokyo, Japan; 9 May 1917)
Biggest win
 Japan 15–0 Philippines 
(Tokyo, Japan; 27 September 1967)
Biggest defeat
 Japan 2–15 Philippines 
(Tokyo, Japan; 10 May 1917)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1998)
Best resultRound of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018)
Asian Cup
Appearances10 (first in 1988)
Best resultChampions (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
Copa América (as guest)
Appearances2 (first in 1999)
Best resultGroup stage (1999, 2019)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances5 (first in 1995)
Best resultRunners-up (2001)
Medal record
Men's football
Olympic Games
1968 MexicoTeam
FIFA Confederations Cup
2001 Korea/JapanTeam
Asian Cup
1992 JapanTeam
2000 LebanonTeam
2004 ChinaTeam
2011 QatarTeam
2019 UAETeam
Asian Games
1951 New DelhiTeam
1966 BangkokTeam
EAFF Championship
2013 South KoreaTeam
2022 JapanTeam
2003 JapanTeam
2005 South KoreaTeam
2008 ChinaTeam
2017 JapanTeam
2019 South KoreaTeam
2010 JapanTeam

The Japan national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本代表, Hepburn: Sakkā Nihon Daihyō), nicknamed the Samurai Blue (サムライ・ブルー, Samurai Burū),[1][2] represents Japan in men's international football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan.

Japan was not a major football force until the end of the 1980s, with a small and amateur team. Since the 1990s, when Japanese football became fully professionalized, Japan has emerged as one of the most successful teams in Asia; they have qualified for the last seven FIFA World Cups with knockout stage appearances in 2002, 2010, and 2018, and won the AFC Asian Cup a record four times, in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. The team also finished second in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Japan remains the only team from the AFC other than Australia and Saudi Arabia to have reached the final of a senior FIFA men's competition.

Japan's progression in a short period has served as an inspiration and example of how to develop football.[6][7] Their principal continental rivals are South Korea, North Korea, China and, most recently, Australia; they also developed rivalries against Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Japan was the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999, 2011, 2015, and 2019 editions of the tournament, though they only played in the 1999 and 2019 events.[8]

History

Pre-war era (1910s–1930s)

Far Eastern Championship Games logo in 1917

Japan's earliest international matches were at the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo, where it was represented by a team from the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Although Japan made strong showings in swimming, baseball, and track and field, its football team suffered resounding defeats to the Republic of China and the Philippines.[9] Nevertheless, the game was promoted in Japanese schools in the 1920s.[10] The Japan Football Association was formed in 1921,[11] and Japan joined FIFA in May 1929.[10]

Japan's first "true" national team (as opposed to a university team chosen to represent the country) was fielded at the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games, and drew with China for the championship title.[10] Shigeyoshi Suzuki coached the national team to its first Olympic appearance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[11] Japan was an entrant for the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, but withdrew before its scheduled qualifying match against the Dutch East Indies.[12]

After World War II began in earnest, Japan did not play in international competition, except for a handful of matches against Manchuria and other colonies.[10] Its last prewar match for purposes of Elo ratings was a friendly against the Philippines in June 1940.[13]

While Korea was under Japanese rule, multiple Koreans played in international competition for Japan, including Kim Yong-sik (1936–40), Kim Sung-gan (1940) and Lee Yoo-hyung (1940).

Post-war Era (1950s–1980s)

Japan playing Argentine club Racing de Córdoba at the 1981 President's Cup

Japan's postwar debut was in the 1951 Asian Games in India.[13] Japan re-joined FIFA in 1950 and played in qualifiers for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, but lost the AFC qualifying berth to South Korea after two matches, beginning an intense rivalry.[11] Japan also joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.[10]

Dettmar Cramer joined the Japan national team as coach in 1960, and helped lead the team to the round of eight at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[14] Japan's first major achievement in international football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where the team won the bronze medal. Although this result earned the sport increased recognition in Japan, the absence of a professional domestic league hindered its growth and Japan would not qualify for the FIFA World Cup until 30 years later.[15] Nonetheless, Japan had come close to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but lost to South Korea in the deciding matches.

Japan made its first appearance in the Asian Cup in 1988, where they were eliminated in the group stage following a draw with Iran and losses to South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The late 1980s saw concrete moves to professionalize the sport in Japan. JFA introduced a Special Licensed Player system in 1986, allowing a limited number of professional players to compete in the domestic semi-professional league. Action committees were held in 1988 and 1989 to discuss the introduction of a full professional league in Japan.[14]

1990s: Rise

A match vs. Argentina at Toulouse in 1998.

In 1991, the owners of the semi-professional Japan Soccer League agreed to disband the league and re-form as the professional J.League, partly to raise the sport's profile and to strengthen the national team program. The following year, Japan hosted the 1992 Asian Cup and won their first title by defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final. The J.League was officially launched in 1993.

However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 World Cup after drawing with Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the "Agony of Doha". Japan's next tournament was a defence of their continental title at the 1996 Asian Cup. The team won all their games in the group stage but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 2–0 loss to Kuwait.

The nation's first ever World Cup appearance was in 1998, where Japan lost all their games. The first two fixtures went 1–0 in favour of Argentina and Croatia, and the campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica. Japan impressed in all three games, however, with all three defeats were just one goal margin.

2000s

In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian champions for the second time.

A match vs. Belgium at Saitama Stadium 2002 on 4 June 2002

Two years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. After a 2–2 draw with Belgium in their opening match, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1–0 win over Russia and a 2–0 victory against Tunisia. However, they subsequently exited the tournament during the round of 16, after losing 1–0 to eventual third-place finishers Turkey.

With the 2004 AFC Asian Cup hosted by China, the Japanese managed to retain the title by winning their group after two victories over Thailand and Oman, before surpassing Jordan and Bahrain. They won against China in the final 3–1.

On 8 June 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, by beating North Korea 2–0 on neutral ground. However, Japan failed to advance to the round of 16, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0–0 and losing to Brazil 1–4.

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup saw Japan failed to defend the title. Although easily winning the group Vietnam and two Arab rivals, Qatar and the UAE, the Japanese were totally exhausted in their game against Australia, where Japan won only by a penalty shootout. Japan lost to Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals before failing in the third-place match against South Korea.

2010s

During the 2010 World Cup qualification, in the fourth round of the Asian Qualifiers, Japan became the first team other than the host South Africa to qualify after defeating Uzbekistan 1–0 away. Japan was drawn in Group E along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.[16] Japan started with a 1–0 win against Cameroon, before subsequently losing to the Netherlands 0–1. Then, Japan resoundingly beat Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay. In the round of 16, Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay.

After the World Cup, head coach Takeshi Okada resigned. He was replaced by former Juventus and Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni. In his first few matches, Japan recorded victories over Guatemala (2–1) and Paraguay (1–0), as well as a 1–0 victory over Argentina.

In 2011, Japan participated in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. On 29 January, they beat Australia 1–0 in the final after extra time, their fourth Asian Cup triumph and allowing them to qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[17]

Japan then started their road to 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Throughout, they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan, and drawing against Australia. Afterwards, on 12 October, Japan earned a historic 1–0 victory over France. After a 1–1 draw with Australia they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, becoming the first nation aside from Brazil to qualify.

Japan started their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a 3–0 loss to Brazil. They were then eliminated from the competition after losing to Italy 3–4. They lost their final match 1–2 against Mexico and finished in fourth place in Group A. One month later, in the EAFF East Asian Cup, they started out with a 3–3 draw to China. They then beat Australia 3–2 and beat South Korea 2–1 in the third and final match in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup to claim the title.

Japan was placed into Group C at the 2014 World Cup alongside the Ivory Coast, Greece and Colombia. They fell in their first match to Ivory Coast 2–1 after initially taking the lead, allowing two goals in a two-minute span. They drew their second game to Greece 0–0. To qualify for the second round, they needed a victory against Colombia and Greece to win against Ivory Coast. Greece beat Ivory Coast 2–1, but Colombia won 4–1, eliminating Japan from the World Cup. Alberto Zaccheroni resigned as head coach. In July 2014, former Mexico and Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre took over and Japan lost 0–2 to Uruguay in the first game he managed.

Japan national team vs Paraguay in 2008

Japan won its opening match at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Group D against Asian Cup debutantes Palestine 4–0, with goals from Yasuhito Endō, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda via a penalty and Maya Yoshida. Okazaki was named man of the match. They then faced Iraq and Jordan in their next group matches, which they won 1–0 and 2–0 respectively. They qualified to knockout stage as Group D winner with nine points, seven goals scored and no goals conceded. In the quarter-finals, Japan lost to the United Arab Emirates in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, as Honda and Shinji Kagawa missed their penalty kicks. Japan's elimination marked their worst performance in the tournament in 19 years.

After the Asian Cup, Aguirre was sacked following allegations of corruption during a prior tenure. He was replaced by Vahid Halilhodžić in March 2015. Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to the UAE 1–2 at home. They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up 5 wins and 2 draws. Then, on 31 August 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2–0 at home thus qualifying them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup. However, the Japan Football Association decided to sack Halilhodžić on 9 April 2018, only ten weeks before the World Cup finals, citing reasons of a breakdown in relationship between coach and player, and poor recent friendly results, and appoint the Technical Director, Japanese coach Akira Nishino, who had managed the Japanese Under-23 team at the 1996 Olympics, as the new manager.[18]

Japanese players before match with Iran at 2019 AFC Asian Cup

Japan made history in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by defeating Colombia 2–1, their first ever victory by any AFC team against a CONMEBOL team in an official tournament,[19] as well as Japan's first ever victory at the FIFA World Cup finals in UEFA nations. Their second match ended in a draw against Senegal, with one goal scored by Takashi Inui and the other by Keisuke Honda.[20] Japan were defeated in their last group game in the Group H against Poland 0–1,[21] leaving Japan and Senegal tied for second with an identical record, however, as Japan had received two fewer yellow cards, Japan advanced to the knockout stage on the Fair Play Points tiebreaker, the first team to do so.[22] The match with Poland caused controversy; as Japan were made aware of their advantage over Senegal with ten minutes left and decided to play an extremely conservative game, passing the ball around to one another and keeping it in their own box, seeking to avoid any bookings and didn't attempt to take any serious shots on goal, despite losing 0–1, with some fans booing the players.[23][24][25] The match received comparison to the 1982 World Cup Disgrace of Gijón, in which a similar game was played.[26] Japan were the only AFC team to have qualified to the knockout stage.[27] In the Round of 16 against Belgium, Japan took a surprising 2–0 lead with a goal in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi and another in the 52nd by Takashi Inui, but yielded 3 goals afterwards, including the winner by Nacer Chadli on the counterattack in the 94th minute. This was Japan's third time having reached the last 16, equaling their best result at a World Cup.[28] Japan's defeat to eventual third-place finishers Belgium was the first time a nation had lost a knockout match at the World Cup after taking a two-goal advantage since England lost to West Germany 2–3 in extra-time in the quarter-final of the 1970 edition.[29][30] This unfortunate scenario was due to the naivety of the Nipponese,[31][32][33] who were very offensive and did not fall back enough in defense once the two-goal lead was acquired (unlike France, eventual champion, in the semifinals who played low block against these same Belgians with success), leaving a lot of space to the Belgians, who also took advantage of their physical and athletic superiority to turn the game around. However, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and medias for their fighting spirits, as demonstrated by Japan's win over Colombia, a draw to Senegal and a strong counter offensive against heavyweight Belgium.[34]

Japan participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and had an almost successful tournament. The team easily topped group F after defeating Turkmenistan 3–2,[35] Oman 1–0[36] and Uzbekistan 2–1.[37] The team, however, got criticized for its defensive approach (as the offensive approach lead to a regretful scenario against Belgium during the World Cup 2018), as Japan won the group with only one goal margin wins in all three matches and two later knockout stage's matches as Japan only beat fellow powerhouse Saudi Arabia in the round of sixteen and dark horse Vietnam in the quarter-finals both with 1–0 margin.[38][39] After defeating Iran 3–0 to reach the final, Japan's hope to win their fifth Asian Cup in two decades shattered with the team suffering a 1–3 loss to Qatar, who won the Asian Cup for the first time.[40]

Japan were invited to the 2019 Copa America, their second appearance at the tournament, and brought a young squad to the competition. They were in Group C with Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador. They lost their opening match, 0–4 to Chile.[41] Japan, however, bounced back well and managed to unluckily draw against football giants Uruguay 2–2, who (Uruguay) were deemed to been saved by VAR.[42] Japan needed a win against Ecuador to qualify for the knockouts, however they drew 1–1 and missed out due to inferior goal differences to Paraguay.[43] Aftermath saw Japan played a friendly game against the Paraguayans, and won 2–0 at home.

2020s

Japan qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and were grouped with Germany, Costa Rica and Spain in Group E.

After China was removed as host of the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, it was announced that Japan was the new host; Japan won the championship after topping the table with two wins and one draw.[44]

Team image

Nicknames

Japan's national football team is nicknamed the Samurai Blue (サムライ・ブルー, Samurai Burū) by the JFA.[1][2] The team also is often known by the last name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan),[45] or during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, team is referred by the recently departed manager's (Akira Nishino), as "Nishino Japan" (西野ジャパン, Nishino Japan).[46][47]

Kits

Boeing 777-289 Samurai Blue Jet

The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past.[48] In the early 1980s, the kit was white with blue trim. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes (stylized to form a wing) with red diamonds. During the 1996 Asian Cup and in the 1998 World Cup, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves, and were designed by JFA (with the sponsor alternating each year between Asics, Puma, and Adidas). The 1996 design was reproduced in a special kit used against Syria on 7 June 2017.

Japan uses blue and white rather than red and white due to a superstition. Japan first used blue shirts in the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games, where a team of the Tokyo Imperial University (whose color is light blue) represented Japan wearing light blue shirts,[49] and then in a 3–2 victory over Sweden in the first game of its maiden major international competition, the 1936 Summer Olympics.[50] When Japan was coached by Kenzo Yokoyama (1988–1992) the kits were red and white, matching the colours of Japan's national flag. After failures at 1990 FIFA World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics qualifications, the red shirt was scrapped.

In the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Japan temporarily switched the colour of the numbers from white to gold.

Japan's kit is provided by German company Adidas, the team's exclusive kit supplier since April 1999.[51] Before that, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor alongside Adidas.

On 3 June 2021, Japan released the special 100th anniversary kit for a friendly match against Jamaica, but the match was cancelled and replaced with a match against the U-24 team. The kit was also used by the U-24 team against U-24 Ghana on 5 June 2021.

Kit suppliers

Kit provider Period Ref
None 1936–1978
Asics 1979
Puma 1980–1985
Adidas 1986
Asics 1987–1988
Adidas 1989–1992
Asics 1993–1998
Adidas 1999–present

Crest

Yatagarasu

The crest or emblem of the national team was adopted in late 2017 as part of a larger rebranding by the Japan Football Association.[52] The crest features the Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow from Japanese mythology that is a symbol for the sun, holding a solid red ball that is like the sun from national flag. The text "JFA" (for the Japan Football Association) is inscribed at the bottom of the crow. A red stripe is also present at the center of the shield behind the crow. The shield has a metallic gold trim and has a thicker black outline. The name of the country represented by the national team "Japan" is also inscribed within the black border.[53][54]

The previous crest used from 1996 had a shield with a more complex shape. The ball held by the Yatagarasu had white details. The text "Japan" is absent and "JFA" is written in a different typeface.[53]

Before 1988, Japan used the national flag outlined in red (and with JFA written in black on the lower left corner of the flag) on the shirts.

The Yatagarasu was first seen on the Japan shirts in 1988, where it was on a yellow circle with a blue outline with "JAPAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION" written around it. In 1991, the emblem changed to a white shield with a red vertical stripe on the center with the crow on it and "JFA" written in a green Gothic typeface. This crest was used until 1996.

Home stadium

Saitama Stadium 2002, where Japan usually plays in FIFA World Cup qualification.

Japan plays its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country, especially the Saitama Stadium 2002.

South Korea

Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea. The football rivalry is long-seated and is often seen as an extension of an overall historic rivalry between the two nations. Japan have met South Korea 80 times, trailing the statistic at 15 wins, 23 draws, and 42 losses. Japan have scored 73 goals and conceded 153. Both countries have made themselves unrivalled in both Asian Cup and World Cup records, being the two most successful Asian countries, and they hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup in a joint bid.

Australia

Japan began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Australia, shortly after the latter joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[55] The rivalry is regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries.[56] The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from a number of highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the AFC in 2006.[57] The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup where the two countries were grouped together, and continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, such as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final and the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.[58] Likewise, Australia and Japan also share World Cup and continental records that is nearly unrivaled in Asia, and also similar that football is not the main sport in both nations until recently; yet hold an indistinguishable record that being the only three members from the AFC to have reached the final of any senior FIFA competition, the other being Saudi Arabia, both in the defunct FIFA Confederations Cup, albeit Australia achieved it when the country still belonged to the OFC.[59]

China

Japan also has a long-standing rivalry with China, mainly due to historical tensions between the two countries in the past and in the present.

Supporters

Fans waving national flags in support of the Japanese national team

Japanese national team supporters are known for chanting "Nippon Ole" (Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan) at home matches.[60]

Sponsorship

Japan has one of the highest sponsorship incomes for a national squad. In 2006 their sponsorship income amounted to over 16.5 million pounds.

Primary sponsors include Adidas, Kirin, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, JAL, MS&AD Insurance Group, Asahi Shinbun, Mizuho Financial, Daito Trust Construction and KDDI.

Mascot

The mascots are "Karappe" (カラッペ) and "Karara" (カララ), two Yatagarasu wearing the Japan national football team kit. The mascots were designed by Japanese manga artist Susumu Matsushita. Each year when a new kit is launched, the mascots' uniforms are updated in order to match the kit being used by the team.

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Pokémon character Pikachu served as the mascot.[61]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed/Cancelled   Fixture

2021

11 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Vietnam  0–1  Japan Hanoi, Vietnam
19:00 UTC+7 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (SW)
  • Ito 17'
Stadium: Mỹ Đình National Stadium
Attendance: 11,022
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (UAE)
16 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Oman  0–1  Japan Muscat, Oman
20:00 UTC+4 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (SW)
  • Ito 81'
Stadium: Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex
Attendance: 14,123
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

2022

27 January 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Japan  2–0  China Saitama, Japan
19:00 UTC+9
  • Osako 13' (pen.)
  • Ito 61'
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 11,753
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
1 February 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Japan  2–0  Saudi Arabia Saitama, Japan
19:10 UTC+9
  • Minamino 31'
  • Ito 50'
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Report (Foxsport)
Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 19,118
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
24 March 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Australia  0–2  Japan Sydney, Australia
20:10 UTC+11 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
  • Mitoma 89', 90+3'
Stadium: Stadium Australia
Attendance: 41,852
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
29 March 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Japan  1–1  Vietnam Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9 Yoshida 55' Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Nguyễn Thanh Bình 19' Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 44,600
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
2 June 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  4–1  Paraguay Sapporo, Japan
19:00 UTC+9
  • Asano 36'
  • Kamada 42'
  • Mitoma 60'
  • Tanaka 85'
Report (JFA)
  • González 59'
Stadium: Sapporo Dome
Attendance: 24,511
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)
6 June 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  0–1  Brazil Tokyo, Japan
19:20 UTC+9 Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Japan National Stadium
Attendance: 63,638
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
10 June 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer Japan  4–1  Ghana Kobe, Japan
18:55 UTC+9
  • Yamane 29'
  • Mitoma 45+1'
  • Kubo 73'
  • Maeda 82'
Report (Soccerway)
  • J. Ayew 44'
Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe
Attendance: 25,100
Referee: Kurt Ams (Australia)
14 June 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer Japan  0–3  Tunisia Osaka, Japan
18:55 UTC+9 Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
  • Ben Romdhane 55' (pen.)
  • Sassi 76'
  • Jebali 90+3'
Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita
Attendance: 31,292
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwish (United Arab Emirates)
19 July 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Japan  6–0  Hong Kong Ibaraki, Japan
19:20 UTC+9
  • Soma 2', 55'
  • Machino 20', 57'
  • Nishimura 22', 40'
Report (EAFF)
Report (EAFF)
Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 4,980
Referee: Hassan Akrami (Iran)
24 July 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Japan  0–0  China Toyota, Japan
19:20 UTC+9 Report (EAFF)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 10,526
Referee: Nivon Robesh Gamini (Sri Lanka)
27 July 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Japan  3–0  South Korea Toyota, Japan
19:20 UTC+9 Soma 49'

Sasaki 63'

Machino 72'
Report (EAFF)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 14,117
Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)
23 September 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  2–0  United States Düsseldorf, Germany
14:25 UTC+2
  • Kamada 24'
  • Mitoma 88'
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Merkur Spiel-Arena
Attendance: 5,149
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)
27 September 2022 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  0–0  Ecuador Düsseldorf, Germany
13:55 UTC+2 Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Merkur Spiel-Arena
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany)
17 November International Friendly Canada  v  Japan Dubai, United Arab Emirates
17:40 UTC+3 Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Al-Maktoum Stadium
23 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Germany  v  Japan Doha, Qatar
16:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
27 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Japan  v  Costa Rica Al Rayyan, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
1 December 2022 FIFA World Cup Japan  v  Spain Doha, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (JFA)
Report (Soccerway)
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of 15 September 2022.[62]
Hajime Moriyasu, current head coach of Japan
Role Name
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu
Assistant coach Akinobu Yokouchi
Toshihide Saito
Yusaku Ueno
Goalkeeping coach Takashi Shimoda
Physical coach Ryoichi Matsumoto

Manager history

As of 27 September 2022 after the match against  Ecuador.
Manager Period Record
MatchesWonDrawLostWin %
Masujiro Nishida192320020%
Goro Yamada192520020%
Vacant1925210150%
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1st)1930211050%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (1st)1934310233.33%
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (2nd)1936211050%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (2nd)19401100100%
Hirokazu Ninomiya1951311133.33%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (3rd)1954–561224616.66%
Taizo Kawamoto195820020%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (4th)1958–591242633.33%
Vacant196010010%
Hidetoki Takahashi1961–19621432921.43%
Ken Naganuma (1st)1963–196931187658.06%
Shunichiro Okano1970–197119112657.90%
Ken Naganuma (2nd)1972–1976421662038.09%
Hiroshi Ninomiya1976–197827661522.22%
Yukio Shimomura1979–19801484257.14%
Masashi Watanabe1980320166.67%
Saburō Kawabuchi1980–19811032530%
Takaji Mori1981–1985432251651.16%
Yoshinobu Ishii1986–198717112464.70%
Kenzo Yokoyama1988–199124571220.83%
Hans Ooft1992–199327167459.25%
Paulo Roberto Falcão1994934233.33%
Shu Kamo1994–19974623101350%
Takeshi Okada (1st)1997–19981554633.33%
Philippe Troussier1998–20025023161146%
Zico2002–20067137161852.11%
Ivica Osim2006–200720132565%
Takeshi Okada (2nd)2007–20105026131152%
Hiromi Hara (caretaker)20102200100%
Alberto Zaccheroni2010–20145530121354.54%
Javier Aguirre2014–20151071270%
Vahid Halilhodžić2015–201838219855.26%
Akira Nishino2018721428.57%
Hajime Moriyasu2018–present573981068.42%
Manager Period Record
MatchesWonDrawLostWin %

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 1 November 2022.[63][64][65] Yuta Nakayama was forced to withdrew from the official squad list, due to injury. His replacement is yet to be announced. [66]

Caps and goals as of 27 September 2022, after the match against  Ecuador.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Eiji Kawashima (1983-03-20) 20 March 1983 95 0 Strasbourg
12 1GK Shūichi Gonda (1989-03-03) 3 March 1989 33 0 Shimizu S-Pulse
23 1GK Daniel Schmidt (1992-02-03) 3 February 1992 11 0 Sint-Truiden

2 2DF Miki Yamane (1993-12-22) 22 December 1993 14 2 Kawasaki Frontale
3 2DF Shogo Taniguchi (1991-07-15) 15 July 1991 13 0 Kawasaki Frontale
4 2DF Ko Itakura (1997-01-27) 27 January 1997 12 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
5 2DF Yuto Nagatomo (1986-09-12) 12 September 1986 137 4 FC Tokyo
16 2DF Takehiro Tomiyasu (1998-11-05) 5 November 1998 29 1 Arsenal
19 2DF Hiroki Sakai (1990-04-12) 12 April 1990 71 1 Urawa Red Diamonds
22 2DF Maya Yoshida (captain) (1988-08-24) 24 August 1988 121 12 Schalke 04
26 2DF Hiroki Ito (1999-05-12) 12 May 1999 5 0 VfB Stuttgart

6 3MF Wataru Endo (1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 43 2 VfB Stuttgart
7 3MF Gaku Shibasaki (1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 59 3 Leganés
8 3MF Ritsu Dōan (1998-06-16) 16 June 1998 28 3 SC Freiburg
9 3MF Kaoru Mitoma (1997-05-20) 20 May 1997 9 5 Brighton & Hove Albion
10 3MF Takumi Minamino (1995-01-16) 16 January 1995 43 17 Monaco[lower-alpha 1]
11 3MF Takefusa Kubo (2001-06-04) 4 June 2001 19 1 Real Sociedad
13 3MF Hidemasa Morita (1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 17 2 Sporting CP
14 3MF Junya Ito (1993-03-09) 9 March 1993 38 9 Reims
15 3MF Daichi Kamada (1996-08-05) 5 August 1996 21 6 Eintracht Frankfurt
17 3MF Ao Tanaka (1998-09-10) 10 September 1998 14 2 Fortuna Düsseldorf
24 3MF Yuki Soma (1997-02-25) 25 February 1997 7 3 Nagoya Grampus

18 4FW Takuma Asano (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 36 7 VfL Bochum
21 4FW Ayase Ueda (1998-08-28) 28 August 1998 10 0 Cercle Brugge
25 4FW Daizen Maeda (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 8 1 Celtic

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Kosei Tani (2000-11-22) 22 November 2000 1 0 Shonan Bellmare v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
GK Keisuke Osako (1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 3 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
GK Zion Suzuki (2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 1 0 Urawa Red Diamonds 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship

DF Yuta NakayamaINJ (1997-02-16) 16 February 1997 17 0 Huddersfield Town 2022 FIFA World Cup INJ
DF Ayumu Seko (2000-06-07) 7 June 2000 0 0 Grasshoppers v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
DF Sho Sasaki (1989-10-02) 2 October 1989 15 2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Shinnosuke Hatanaka (1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 10 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Shinnosuke Nakatani (1996-03-24) 24 March 1996 5 0 Nagoya Grampus 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Daiki Sugioka (1998-09-08) 8 September 1998 5 0 Shonan Bellmare 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Ryuta Koike (1995-08-29) 29 August 1995 2 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Hayato Araki (1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 1 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Takuma Ominami (1997-12-13) 13 December 1997 1 0 Kashiwa Reysol 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF Yukinari Sugawara (2000-06-28) 28 June 2000 1 0 AZ v.  Paraguay, 2 June 2022 INJ
DF Naomichi Ueda (1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 16 1 Nîmes v.  Vietnam, 29 March 2022
DF Ryuya Nishio (2001-05-16) 16 May 2001 0 0 Cerezo Osaka Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
DF Sei Muroya (1994-04-05) 5 April 1994 16 0 Hannover 96 v.  Oman, 11 November 2021

MF Genki Haraguchi (1991-05-09) 9 May 1991 74 11 Union Berlin v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
MF Reo Hatate (1997-11-21) 21 November 1997 1 0 Celtic v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
MF Kento Hashimoto (1993-08-16) 16 August 1993 15 1 Huesca 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Ryo Miyaichi (1992-12-14) 14 December 1992 5 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Tomoki Iwata (1997-04-07) 7 April 1997 4 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Tsukasa Morishima (1997-04-25) 25 April 1997 4 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Yasuto Wakizaka (1995-06-11) 11 June 1995 4 0 Kawasaki Frontale 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Joel Chima Fujita (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 2 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Kota Mizunuma (1990-02-22) 22 February 1990 2 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Gakuto Notsuda (1994-06-06) 6 June 1994 1 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF Ataru Esaka (1992-05-31) 31 May 1992 1 0 Urawa Red Diamonds Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
MF Sho Inagaki (1991-12-25) 25 December 1991 1 2 Nagoya Grampus Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
MF Ryotaro Araki (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 0 0 Kashima Antlers Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
MF Daiki Matsuoka (2001-06-01) 1 June 2001 0 0 Shimizu S-Pulse Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
MF Yuito Suzuki (2001-10-25) 25 October 2001 0 0 Shimizu S-Pulse Chiba Training Camp, January 2022
MF Kota Watanabe (1998-10-18) 18 October 1998 0 0 Yokohama F. Marinos Chiba Training Camp, January 2022

FW Kyogo Furuhashi (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 16 3 Celtic v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
FW Shuto Machino (1999-09-30) 30 September 1999 4 3 Shonan Bellmare v.  Ecuador, 27 September 2022
FW Yoshinori Muto (1992-07-15) 15 July 1992 29 3 Vissel Kobe 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship INJ
FW Takuma Nishimura (1996-10-22) 22 October 1996 3 2 Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW Makoto Mitsuta (1999-07-20) 20 July 1999 2 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW Mao Hosoya (2001-09-07) 7 September 2001 1 0 Kashiwa Reysol 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW Yuto Iwasaki (1998-06-11) 11 June 1998 1 0 Sagan Tosu 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW Daichi Hayashi (1997-05-23) 23 May 1997 0 0 Sint-Truiden v.  Vietnam, 29 March 2022
FW Yuya Osako (1990-05-18) 18 May 1990 57 25 Vissel Kobe v.  Australia, 24 March 2022 INJ
FW Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa (1998-07-09) 9 July 1998 0 0 Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Chiba Training Camp, January 2022 INJ

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Records

As of 27 September 2022[67]
Players in bold are still active with Japan.

Most appearances

Yasuhito Endō is Japan's most capped player with 152 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Pos Career
1Yasuhito Endō15215MF2002–2015
2Yuto Nagatomo1374DF2008–present
3Masami Ihara1225DF1988–1999
4Maya Yoshida12112DF2010–present
5Shinji Okazaki11950FW2008– 2019
6Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi1160GK1997–2010
7Makoto Hasebe1142MF2006–2018
8Yuji Nakazawa11017DF1999–2010
9Shunsuke Nakamura9824MF2000–2010
Keisuke Honda9837MF2008–2018

Top goalscorers

Kunishige Kamamoto is Japan's top scorer with 75 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Kunishige Kamamoto75760.991964–1977
2Kazuyoshi Miura55890.621990–2000
3Shinji Okazaki501190.422008–2019
4Hiromi Hara37750.491978–1988
Keisuke Honda37980.382008–2018
6Shinji Kagawa31970.322008–2019
7Takuya Takagi27440.611992–1997
8Kazushi Kimura26540.481979–1986
9Yuya Osako25570.442013–present
10Shunsuke Nakamura24980.242000–2010

Captains

Makoto Hasebe is Japan's longest-serving captain.
Name Pos Period Note
Shigeo Yaegashi MF 1968 Summer Olympics bronze medalist leading captain (1968)
Aritatsu Ogi MF 1969–1974
Kunishige Kamamoto FW 1975–1977
Nobuo Fujishima MF 1978
Hiroshi Ochiai MF DF 1978–1979
Hideki Maeda MF 1980–1981
Mitsuhisa Taguchi GK 1982–1984
Kazushi Kimura MF 1986
Hisashi Kato DF 1985–1987
Hiromi Hara FW 1988
Shigetatsu Matsunaga GK 1989
Shinichi Morishita GK 1990
Tetsuji Hashiratani MF 1991–1995 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (1992)
Masami Ihara DF 1996–1999
Masashi Nakayama FW 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup runners-up leading captain (2001)
Ryuzo Morioka CB 2000–2002 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2000)
Hidetoshi Nakata CM 2002–2004
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto CB 2003–2006 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2004), East Asian Football Championship runners-up leading captain (2003) (2005)
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi GK 2006–2008 East Asian Football Championship runners-up leading captain (2008)
Yuji Nakazawa CB 2008–2010 East Asian Football Championship third place leading captain (2010)
Makoto Hasebe DM 2010–2018 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2011)
Yuichi Komano DF 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup winning captain (2013)
Gen Shoji CB 2017 EAFF E-1 Championship runners-up leading captain (2017)
Maya Yoshida CB 2018–present AFC Asian Cup runners-up leading captain (2019)
Sho Sasaki LB 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship runners-up leading captain (2019)
Shogo Taniguchi CB 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship winning captain (2022)

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty shootouts. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicate 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930Did not enter No qualification
1934 Did not enter
1938Withdrew Withdrew
1950Suspended from FIFA Suspended from FIFA
1954Did not qualify 201137
1958Did not enter Did not enter
1962Did not qualify 200214
1966Did not enter Did not enter
1970Did not qualify 402248
1974 410354
1978 401305
1982 420242
1986 8512155
1990 623173
1994 13931356
1998Group stage31st300314Squad 159515112
2002Round of 169th421153Squad Qualified as hosts
2006Group stage28th301227Squad 121101255
2010Round of 169th421142Squad 14842239
2014Group stage29th301226Squad 14833308
2018Round of 1615th411267Squad 181332447
2022Qualified181512586
2026To be determinedTo be determined
TotalRound of 167/22215511202913883272830591

Match history

FIFA World Cup history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
1998Group stage Argentina0–1Loss
Group stage Croatia0–1Loss
Group stage Jamaica1–2Loss
2002Group stage Belgium2–2Draw
Group stage Russia1–0Win
Group stage Tunisia2–0Win
Round of 16 Turkey0–1Loss
2006Group stage Australia1–3Loss
Group stage Croatia0–0Draw
Group stage Brazil1–4Loss
2010Group stage Cameroon1–0Win
Group stage Netherlands0–1Loss
Group stage Denmark3–1Win
Round of 16 Paraguay0–0 (3–5)Draw (Loss)
2014Group stage Ivory Coast1–2Loss
Group stage Greece0–0Draw
Group stage Colombia1–4Loss
2018Group stage Colombia2–1Win
Group stage Senegal2–2Draw
Group stage Poland0–1Loss
Round of 16 Belgium2–3Loss
2022Group stage Germanyv
Group stage Costa Ricav
Group stage Spainv

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1956Withdrew Withdrew
1960
1964
1968Did not qualify 431084
1972Withdrew Withdrew
1976Did not qualify 521244
1980Withdrew Withdrew
1984
1988Group stage10th401306Squad 421163
1992Champions 1st532063Squad Qualified as hosts
1996Quarter-finals5th430173Squad Qualified as champions
2000Champions1st6510216Squad 3300150
2004Champions1st6420136Squad Qualified as champions
2007Fourth place4th6231117Squad 6501152
2011Champions1st6420146Squad 6501174
2015Quarter-finals5th431081Squad Qualified as champions
2019Runners-up2nd7601126Squad 8710270
2023Qualified 8800462
Total4 Titles10/184830126924444354513819

Match history

Copa América

Japan is the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited to the 1999 Copa América.[8] Japan was also invited to the 2011 tournament and initially accepted the invitation. However, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the JFA later withdrew on 16 May 2011, citing the difficulty of releasing some Japanese players from European teams to play as replacements.[68] On the next day, CONMEBOL invited Costa Rica to replace Japan in the competition.

On 16 August 2013, CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo announced that Japan was invited to the 2015 Copa América.[69] However, Japan later declined the invitation due to scheduling problems.[70]

On 14 May 2018, CONMEBOL announced that Japan, alongside Qatar, would be the two invited teams for the 2019 Copa América.[71]

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1992 Did not qualify
1995 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 8 Squad
1997 Did not qualify
1999
2001 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 6 1 Squad
2003 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 4 3 Squad
2005 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 4 Squad
2009 Did not qualify
2013 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 4 9 Squad
2017 Did not qualify
TotalRunners-up5/10165291925

Match history

Olympic Games

Since 1992, the Olympic team has been drawn from a squad with a maximum of three players over 23 years age, and the achievements of this team are not generally regarded as part of the national team's records, nor are the statistics credited to the players' international records.

Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1908Did not enter Did not enter
1912
1920
1924
1928
1936Quarter-finals8th2101310Squad No qualification
1948Did not enter Did not enter
1952
1956First round10th100102Squad No qualification
1960Did not qualify 210112
1964Quarter-finals8th310259Squad Qualified as hosts
1968Bronze medalists3rd632198Squad 5410264
1972Did not qualify 4202147
1976 6213911
1980 5311165
1984 103162617
1988 8611193
1992–present See Japan national under-23 team
TotalBronze medalists4/17125251729402151411149

Match history

Asian Games

EAFF E-1 Championship

EAFF E-1 Championship record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2003 Runners-up2nd321030Squad
2005 Runners-up2nd311133Squad
2008 Runners-up2nd312032Squad
2010 Third Place3rd311143Squad
2013 Champions1st321086Squad
2015 Fourth Place4th302134Squad
2017 Runners-up2nd320145Squad
2019 Runners-up2nd320172Squad
2022 Champions1st321090Squad
Total Champions 9/92713954425

Match history

EAFF E-1 Championship history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2003First match China2–0Win
Second match Hong Kong1–0Win
Third match South Korea0–0Draw
2005First match North Korea0–1Loss
Second match China2–2Draw
Third match South Korea1–0Win
2008First match North Korea1–1Draw
Second match China1–0Win
Third match South Korea1–1Draw
2010First match China0–0Draw
Second match Hong Kong3–0Win
Third match South Korea1–3Loss
2013First match China3–3Draw
Second match Australia3–2Win
Third match South Korea2–1Win
2015First match North Korea1–2Loss
Second match South Korea1–1Draw
Third match China1–1Draw
2017First match North Korea1–0Win
Second match China2–1Win
Third match South Korea1–4Loss
2019First match China2–1Win
Second match Hong Kong5–0Win
Third match South Korea0–1Loss
2022First match Hong Kong6–0Win
Second match China0–0Draw
Third match South Korea3–0Win

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Japan's all-time international record, correct as of 27 September 2022.[72]
Opponent From To Pld W D L GF GA GD
 Afghanistan195120153300130+13
 Angola20052005110010+1
 Argentina199220107106415−11
 Australia195620222711973932+7
 Austria200720071010000
 Azerbaijan20122012110020+2
 Bahrain1978201010802177+10
 Bangladesh197519935500221+21
 Belarus20132013100101−1
 Belgium199920186222118+3
 Bolivia19992019321041+3
 Bosnia and Herzegovina20062016311164+2
 Brazil19892022130211535−30
 Brunei198020003300182+16
 Bulgaria1976201661141013−3
 Cambodia197020154400101+9
 Cameroon20012020532050+5
 Canada20012013220051+4
 Chile200820193111440
 China1917202135158124552−7
 Chinese Taipei196319837421178+9
 Colombia20032019511337−4
 Costa Rica199520184310102+8
 Croatia199720063111440
 Cyprus20142014110010+1
 Czech Republic19982011312010+1
 Denmark19712010210154+1
 Ecuador19952022422051+4
 Egypt19982007220051+4
 El Salvador20192019110020+2
 England19952010301235−2
 Finland20062009220071+6
 France199420126114514−9
 Germany20042006201125−3
 Ghana1964202285031814+4
 Greece20052014211010+1
 Guatemala20102013220051+4
 Haiti201720171010330
 Honduras200220143210147+7
 Hong Kong195820222413564821+27
 Hungary19932004200224−2
 Iceland19712012330083+5
 India19542006129033611+25
 Indonesia193419891810263925+14
 Iran19512019186662119+2
 Iraq19782016137331910+9
 Israel197319777007217−15
 Italy193620133012413−9
 Ivory Coast199320205302440
 Jamaica19982014421173+4
 Jordan198820156231125+7
 Kazakhstan199720053210102+8
 Kuwait19781996510428−6
 Kyrgyzstan201820213300111+10
 Latvia20052013211052+3
 Lebanon19671967110031+2
 Macau198020004400260+26
 Malaysia195820042697104043−3
 Mali201820181010110
 Malta20062006110010+1
 Mexico199620207106615−9
 Mongolia201920212200200+20
 Montenegro20072007110020+2
 Myanmar19552021147522912+17
   Nepal198619975500280+28
 Netherlands20092013301226−4
 New Zealand198120176303108+2
 Nigeria19682003421186+2
 North Korea19752017198471914+5
 Norway20022002100103−3
 Oman19882021151032216+15
 Pakistan19621988211052+3
 Palestine20152015110040+4
 Panama20182020220040+4
 Paraguay19952022125421911+8
 Peru19672011723245−1
 Philippines191519832015058835+53
 Poland1981201872051014−4
 Qatar19832019102441215−3
 Romania197420034013312−9
 Russia197820024103311−8
 Saudi Arabia199020211610152513+12
 Scotland19952009312020+2
 Senegal19872018402247−3
 Serbia1961202110406720−13
 Singapore195920152621235818+40
 Slovakia20002004321052+3
 Spain20012001100101−1
 South Africa200920091010000
 South Korea195420228116234276124−48
 South Vietnam196119735401145+9
 South Yemen19821982110031+2
 Sri Lanka197219933300160+16
 Sweden193620025131770
 Switzerland20072018210145−1
 Syria1978201711920279+18
 Tajikistan201120214400191+18
 Thailand196220172216425216+36
 Togo20092009110050+5
 Trinidad and Tobago20062019211020+2
 Tunisia19962022540163+3
 Turkey199720022101110
 Turkmenistan20192019110032+1
 Ukraine20022018310223−1
 United Arab Emirates19812017196942217+5
 United States19932022320174+3
 Uruguay1985201972241723−6
 Uzbekistan19962019117313010+20
 Venezuela201020195131660
 Vietnam20072022541082+6
 Wales19921992100101−1
 Yemen20062010440083+5
 Zambia20142014110043+1
Total191720227673611632431,343932+411

FIFA World Ranking

As of 20 February 2022, after the match against  Saudi Arabia.

  Best Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Ranking    Worst Mover  

Japan's FIFA World Ranking History
Rank Year Games
Played
Won Lost Drawn Best Worst
Rank Move Rank Move
24 (6 October 2022)[5]20222200 23 (February) 326
262021121020 26 (November) 228 1
2720204211 27 128 0
282019231535 26 2933 7
50201814635 41 761 5
57201713634 40 757 11
45201610712 45 858 7
532015171151 50 558 8
54201413724 54 244 4
47201319838 21 248 7
22201212822 19 733 11
19201115951 13 1229 2
29201018846 29 1346 6
432009171133 31 443 9
352008191072 32 438 6
34200713751 30 746 5
 47200619946 15 149 13
152005201136 13 519 4
172004221723 17 429 1
29200316655 22 229 3
22200213553 22 838 4
34200113634 26 1144 9
 382000181062 34 1562 6
5719997043 33 057 13
 20199818728 9 1030 10
141997221174 14 420 2
211996131012 20 630 2
31199517647 31 741 8
3619949342 36 1454 12
 431993161132 43 2344 1
661992

Honours

Intercontinental

  • Olympic Games
Bronze medalists: 1968
  • FIFA Confederations Cup
Runners-up: 2001

Continental

Champions: 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011
Runners-up: 2019
Fourth place: 2007
  • Asian Games
Third place: 1951, 1966
Fourth place: 1970

Regional

  • Far Eastern Games
Champions: 1930
  • Dynasty Cup
Champions: 1992, 1995, 1998
Fourth place: 1990
  • EAFF E-1 Football Championship
    • East Asian Football Championship (2003–2010), EAFF East Asian Cup (2013–2015)
Champions: 2013, 2022
Runners-up: 2003, 2005, 2008, 2017, 2019
Third place: 2010

Others

  • Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Champions: 1993, 2007
  • AFC – OFC Challenge Cup
Champions: 2001

Minor-friendly

  • Kirin Cup
Champions: (12): 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015

Awards

Years: 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011
  • Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize
Years: 2002

See also

National teams
Men's
  • Japan national under-23 football team
  • Japan national under-20 football team
  • Japan national under-17 football team
  • Japan national futsal team
  • Japan national under-20 futsal team
  • Japan national beach soccer team
Men's
  • Japan women's national football team
  • Japan women's national under-23 football team
  • Japan women's national under-20 football team
  • Japan women's national under-17 football team

Notes

  1. Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.

    References

    1. "SAMURAI BLUE". JFA|公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 December 2021.
    2. "SAMURAI BLUE". JFA|Japan Football Association. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020.
    3. "日本代表チーム愛称は、「SAMURAI BLUE 」" [The nickname of the Japanese national team is "SAMURAI BLUE"]. Japan Football Association (in Japanese). 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2021. Alt URL Archived 21 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine
    4. "Kunishige Kamamoto - Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
    5. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
    6. Williams, Aidan (4 January 2019). "How the 1992 Asian Cup awoke Japanese football, the continent's sleeping giant". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
    7. Anello, Gabriele (19 August 2018). "The model that saved Japanese football and made it an Asian powerhouse within two decades". Football Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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