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Japan women's national football team

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This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Japan national football team.

Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan)
AssociationJapan Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
Head coachNorio Sasaki (interim)
CaptainSaki Kumagai
Most capsHomare Sawa (205)
Top scorerHomare Sawa (83)
FIFA codeJPN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 7 Steady (16 August 2024)[1]
Highest3 (December 2011 – September 2014)
Lowest14 (July 2003 – March 2004)
First international
 Chinese Taipei 1–0 Japan 
(British Hong Kong; 7 June 1981)
Biggest win
 Japan 21–0 Guam 
(Guangzhou, China; 5 December 1997)
Biggest defeat
 Italy 9–0 Japan 
(Tokyo, Japan; 9 September 1981)[2]
 United States 9–0 Japan 
(Charlotte, United States; 29 April 1999)[2]
World Cup
Appearances9 (first in 1991)
Best resultChampions (2011)
Olympic Games
Appearances6 (first in 1996)
Best resultRunners-up (2012)
Asian Cup
Appearances17 (first in 1977)
Best resultChampions (2014, 2018)
Medal record
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Germany Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Canada Team
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Team
Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place 2014 Vietnam Team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jordan Team
Silver medal – second place 1986 Hong Kong Team
Silver medal – second place 1991 Japan Team
Silver medal – second place 1995 Malaysia Team
Silver medal – second place 2001 Chinese Taipei Team
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Hong Kong Team
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Malaysia Team
Bronze medal – third place 1997 China Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Vietnam Team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 China Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 India Team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guangzhou Team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Hangzhou Team
Silver medal – second place 1990 Beijing Team
Silver medal – second place 1994 Hiroshima Team
Silver medal – second place 2006 Doha Team
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon Team
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Bangkok Team
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Busan Team

The Japan women's national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本女子代表, Hepburn: Sakkā Nippon Joshi Daihyō), commonly known as Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン),[3] represents Japan in women's association football and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA). The only country to win every FIFA competition and the most successful women's national team in the Asian Football Confederation, its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 3rd, achieved in December 2011.[4]

Nadeshiko Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions.[5] It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships.[6] It also won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cups, the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, and the 2008, 2010, and 2019 EAFF Football Championships.

History

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1970s and 1980s

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During the 1970s, the number of women football players and teams increased in Japan, and teams made up regional leagues in various parts of Japan. In 1977, a team representing Japan participated in its first international tournament, the 1977 AFC Women's Championship. But this team was not actually a national team, since the Japan Football Association dispatched a club team, FC Jinnan as its representative.[7][8] In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held. In 1981, the Japan Football Association formed the first national team for the 1981 AFC Women's Championship[9] and Seiki Ichihara managed as the first Japan national team manager.[2] The first match against Chinese Taipei on 7 June at this tournament was the first match for a Japan national team.[2] In 1984, a national team was gathered for the first time in three years for a China expedition, with Takao Orii managing the squad.[2]

In January 1986, Ryohei Suzuki became the first full-time manager for the national team. In December, Japan won 2nd place at the 1986 AFC Women's Championship. In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League" (abbreviated to "L. League") was established, and the women's national team qualified for the "1991 FIFA Women's World Cup" in China.

Verge of decline

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Japan women's national football team attended various championship tournaments such as the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup which had made the national team and the L.League very popular. However, in 1999, Japan failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, and along with economic stagnation (Lost Decade) this helped cause the withdrawal of a series of teams from the L. League. Japanese women's football was on the verge of decline.

Regeneration

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In August 2002, the Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had been coach for the Macau national football team, as the new head coach. Officials expected a revitalization of women's football and planned a team reorganization, aiming for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team at first went through a losing streak, but Ueda gradually improved the team, and it eventually gained wide support in Japan. In particular, a game against Korea DPR, which decided who would participate in the 2004 Olympics, not only made fans rush to the National Stadium but also was widely watched on TV.

Following the increase in public interest in women's football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen from among about 2,700 entries and was announced on 7 July 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, comes from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko" (大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").

2003 and 2007 World Cup

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Japan faced Germany, Canada and Argentina for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Beginning with a 6–0 thrashing of newcomer Argentina, Japan subsequently fell 0–3 to the eventual champions Germany, followed by a loss of 1–3 to Canada, the team that ultimately finished 4th.

In the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China, they again faced Germany and Argentina, with England making up the group. They started with a 2–2 draw against England, before beating Argentina 1–0. A 0–2 defeat to reigning champion Germany again eliminated Japan from the group stage.

Golden Period (2011–2015)

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2011 World Cup

[edit]
The Japan team thanking fans for their support for the humanitarian response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami after their World Cup win[10][11]

Japan qualified for the finals by finishing third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup. After finishing second in their group behind England, Japan beat two-time defending champion and host nation Germany 1–0 in the quarterfinals, before easily defeating Sweden 3–1 to reach the final.

After the final game finished 2–2 after extra time, Japan beat the United States 3–1 in a penalty shootout, becoming the first Asian team to win the FIFA Women's World Cup, and the first Asian team to win a senior FIFA title.[12][13] It came right after men's team won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, marked their most successful year in Japanese football.

2012 Summer Olympics

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Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by finishing first in the Asian qualifier in September 2011, only 6 weeks after winning the Women's World Cup. At the Olympics, after finishing second in their group behind Sweden, Nadeshiko Japan defeated Brazil 2–0 in the quarterfinals, followed by a 2–1 victory over France, whom Nadeshiko had lost to in a friendly match right before the Olympics, to reach the final.

In a rematch of the World Cup final, Japan was defeated in the Olympic final by a score of 1–2 against the United States, allowing two goals to Carli Lloyd in the 8th and 54th minutes. Yūki Ōgimi scored the lone goal for Japan.[14]

The Japan Football Association (JFA) was accused of sexism, after flying the men's Olympic team on business class and the women's team on economy class.[15]

Nadeshiko, 2013

2014 Asian Cup

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Despite having won a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011, Japan entered the 2014 Asian Cup having never previously won the tournament. They were drawn with Asia's Queen Australia, host Vietnam and newcomer Jordan.[citation needed] Their first match in the group stage of the tournament resulted in a 2–2 draw against the defending champion Australia.[16] Also in the group stage, Japan upset host Vietnam by a 4–0 win before defeating Jordan with a 7–0 win to finish first with a higher goal difference.[citation needed]

In the semi-final, Japan beat eight-time champions China 2–1 after 120'. In the final, they met Australia once again and successfully earned a 1–0 win with Azusa Iwashimizu's goal. This marked the first time for Japan to become "Queen of Asia". They became the first Asian team to subsequently win both the FIFA Women's World Cup and AFC Women's Asian Cup.[citation needed] Because of their top placement in the tournament, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and newcomer Thailand secured their spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be played in Canada the following year.[17]

2015 World Cup

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The national teams of Japan and the United States at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Japan, then fourth in the world, was drawn into Group C for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, with tournament debutants Ecuador, Switzerland, and Cameroon. Japan won all three games, securing passage into the Round of 16, where they drew yet another tournament debutant in the Netherlands. Saori Ariyoshi and Mizuho Sakaguchi scored goals for Japan, and they ultimately survived a couple of nervy moments to get into the quarterfinals. Against Australia, Japan once again used their technical possession game to frustrate The Matildas and negate their speed. Mana Iwabuchi notched the only goal of the game three minutes from time to send Japan to the semifinals.

Against England in the semifinals, Nadeshiko Japan was able to survive against the tenacious Lionesses, as the two teams traded goals from the penalty spot (Aya Miyama for Japan, Fara Williams for England). Deadlocked from the 40th minute on, Japan got a truly fortunate break as English centre back Laura Bassett, in trying to clear out a Japan cross, ended up scoring an own-goal at the death. This set up a rematch with the United States from the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Unfortunately for Japan, the Americans came out flying and scored four goals in the first 16 minutes of the match, with American midfielder Carli Lloyd scoring a hat trick in the process. Yuki Ogimi brought Japan one back in the 27th minute, and an own goal from Julie Johnston halved the American lead, but Tobin Heath put the final touch on the United States' third Women's World Cup victory.

Brief decline (2016–2021)

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2019 World Cup

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While Japan remains on a title and a runners-up spot at the last two editions of the World Cup as well as a runner-up spot at the 2012 Olympics, it failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics while the World Cup 2019 sees the country of the Rising Sun being knocked out pretty quickly. Nadeshiko Japan, who no longer benefit from the surprise effect unlike previous tournaments, passed the first round without glory, with a narrow victory over Scotland (2–1) a goalless draw against Argentina (0–0) as well as a defeat against England (0–2) in the last group match for first place in group D. The Japanese find the Netherlands at the same stage of the competition as 4 years earlier, but the confrontation this time turns to the advantage of the Oranje who take their revenge and eliminated Japan by the same score by which they had lost in 2015 (1–2).

Olympic Games in 2021 at home

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Japan is encountering the same difficulties during the 2020 Olympic Games organized at home and postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In front of their public, Japan passed the first round with difficulty, with a victory snatched in extremis on the edge of the last quarter of an hour of the game on the last day against Chile (1–0) to finish among the 2 best 3rd in the group, having had a few scares with a header from the Chilean Francisca Lara having rebounded on the goal line without crossing it just after hitting the bar,[18] and this shortly before the saving Japanese goal. Japan, which had in the meantime struggled against the other top names in the group (1–1 draw against Canada after being behind and missing a penalty, 0–1 defeat against Great Britain), confirms its difficulties against to the big teams like this first round and the 2019 World Cup by falling in the next round against Sweden (1–3).

2023 World Cup

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Japan playing against Spain at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Wellington, New Zealand

Japan finished first in Group C with Spain, Zambia and Costa Rica, winning all three group games, scoring 11 goals and conceded none. Japan's technical mastery made a strong impression in particular in her 4–0 victory against Spain, the eventual champion. That was a landmark match that broke long-held FIFA records. Japan women's 23% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA Women's World Cup since 2011. This is often compared to Japan 2-1 Spain in 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E, which Japan's 18% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA World Cup since 1966.[19][20][21] Match statistics reflected Japan women was more incisive and efficient, with only 23% possession, their expected goal (xG) was 0.9 vs 0.7, shots attempted were 7 vs 10, shots on target were 5 vs 2, and goals scored were 4 vs 0.[22]

In the knockout stage, Japan was able to beat Norway 3–1[23] and advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015. Facing Sweden, another Scandinavian in the quarter-finals, Japan was hailed as favorite due to their four consecutive wins at this World Cup, but, unfortunately for the Nadeshiko, they were unable to create as many chances as they did against Norway. Japan found themselves trailing by 2 goals to nothing at halftime, and Honoka Hayashi's goal in the 87th minute ended as the only effort Japan could effectively turn into a goal. Losing by 2–1, they were eliminated from the World Cup, and the second time in succession that Japan fell to Sweden in a major competition, as they were also eliminated at the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics just two years prior, on 2021.

Team image

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Nicknames

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The Japan women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Nadeshiko Japan".

Home stadium

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Main article: List of football stadiums in Japan
See also: Category:Football venues in Japan

Japan play its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country.

Rivalries

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South Korea

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Main article: Japan–South Korea football rivalry § Women's

The Japan and South Korea national football teams are sporting rivals.

North Korea

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The Japan and North Korea national football teams are AFC's rivals.

China

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The Japan and China national football teams are AFC's rivals.

Australia

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Main article: Australia–Japan football rivalry

The Japan and Australia national soccer teams are AFC's rivals.

United States

[edit]
Main article: Japan–United States women's soccer rivalry

The Japan and United States are sporting rivals.

Overall competitive record

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  • All results list Japan goal tally first.
  • Goal scorers are sorted alphabetically.
  • Colors gold, silver, and bronze indicate first-, second-, and third-place finishes.

Overall record

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Competition Stage Result Opponent Position Scorers
Hong Kong 1981 Asian Championship Round 1 0–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 3 / 4
0–2 Thailand Thailand
1–0 Indonesia Indonesia Handa
Hong Kong 1986 Asian Championship Round 1 0–2 China China 2 / 3
10–0 Malaysia Malaysia Takakura (2), Nagamine (4), Kioka (2), Tezuka, Matsuda
Semifinals 4–0 Thailand Thailand Kioka, Nagamine, Noda, Matsuda
Final 0–2 China China
Hong Kong 1989 Asian Championship Round 1 3–0 Hong Kong Hong Kong 1 / 4
11–0 Indonesia Indonesia
14–0 Nepal Nepal
Semifinals 0–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Third place 9–0 Hong Kong Hong Kong
China 1990 Asian Games Main Round 0–5 China China
5–0 Hong Kong Hong Kong
8–1 South Korea South Korea
1–1 North Korea North Korea
3–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 2 / 6
Hong Kong 1991 Asian Championship Round 1 1–0 North Korea North Korea 1 / 5
4–1 Hong Kong Hong Kong
12–0 Malaysia Malaysia
12–0 Singapore Singapore
Semifinals 0–0 (PSO: 5–4) Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Final 0–5 China China
China 1991 World Cup Round 1 0–1 Brazil Brazil 4 / 4
0–8 Sweden Sweden
0–3 United States United States
Malaysia 1993 Asian Championship Round 1 6–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 1 / 4
15–0 Philippines Philippines
4–0 Hong Kong Hong Kong
Semifinals 1–3 China China
Final 3–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
China 1994 Asian Games Round 1 1–1 China China 2 / 4
3–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
5–0 South Korea South Korea
Final 0–2 China China
Sweden 1995 World Cup Round 1 0–1 Germany Germany 3 / 4
2–1 Brazil Brazil
0–2 Sweden Sweden
Quarterfinals 0–4 United States United States
Malaysia 1995 Asian Championship Round 1 1–0 South Korea South Korea 1 / 4
6–0 India India
17–0 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan
Semifinals 3–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Final 0–2 China China
United States 1996 Summer Olympics Round 1 2–3 Germany Germany 4 / 4
0–2 Brazil Brazil
0–4 Norway Norway
China 1997 Asian Championship Round 1 21–0 Guam Guam 1 / 4
1–0 India India
9–0 Hong Kong Hong Kong
Semifinals 0–1 North Korea North Korea
Third place 2–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
China 1998 Asian Games Round 1 6–0 Thailand Thailand 2 / 4
2–3 North Korea North Korea
8–0 Vietnam Vietnam
Semifinals 0–3 China China
Third place 2–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
United States 1999 World Cup Round 1 1–1 Canada Canada 4 / 4
0–5 Russia Russia
0–4 Norway Norway
Philippines 1999 Asian Championship Round 1 9–0 Thailand Thailand 1 / 5
5–1 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan
14–0 Nepal Nepal
6–0 Philippines Philippines
Semifinals 0–2 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Third place 2–3 North Korea North Korea
Chinese Taipei 2001 Asian Championship Round 1 14–0 Singapore Singapore 2 / 5
11–0 Guam Guam
0–1 North Korea North Korea
3–1 Vietnam Vietnam
Semifinals 2–1 South Korea South Korea
Final 0–2 North Korea North Korea
Chinese Taipei 2002 Asian Games Main round 0–1 North Korea North Korea
3–0 Vietnam Vietnam
1–0 South Korea South Korea
2–2 China China
2–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 3 / 6
Thailand 2003 Asian Championship Round 1 15–0 Philippines Philippines 1 / 5
7–0 Guam Guam
7–0 Myanmar Myanmar
5–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Semifinals 0–3 North Korea North Korea
Third place 0–1 South Korea South Korea
United States 2003 World Cup Round 1 6–0 Argentina Argentina 3 / 4
0–3 Germany Germany
1–3 Canada Canada
Greece 2004 Summer Olympics Round 1 1–0 Sweden Sweden 3 / 3
0–1 Nigeria Nigeria
Quarterfinals 1–2 United States United States Awarded the Fair Play Award
South Korea 2005 East Asian Championship Main Round 0–1 North Korea North Korea
0–0 China China
0–0 South Korea South Korea 3 / 4 Awarded the Fair Play Award
Qatar 2006 Asian Games Round 1 13–0 Jordan Jordan 1 / 4
4–0 Thailand Thailand
1–0 China China
Semifinals 3–1 South Korea South Korea
Final 0–0 (PSO: 2–4) North Korea South Korea
Australia 2006 Asian Championship Round 1 5–0 Vietnam Vietnam 1 / 4
11–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
1–0 China China
Semifinals 0–2 Australia Australia
Third place 2–3 North Korea North Korea
China 2007 World Cup Round 1 2–2 England England 3 / 4
1–0 Argentina Argentina
0–2 Germany Germany
China 2008 East Asian Championship Main Round 3–2 North Korea North Korea
2–0 South Korea South Korea
3–0 China China 1 / 4
Vietnam 2008 Asian Cup Round 1 1–3 South Korea South Korea 1 / 4
11–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
3–1 Australia Australia
Semifinals 1–3 China China
Third place 3–0 Australia Australia
2008 Summer Olympics qualification Final round 2–0 Vietnam Vietnam 1 / 4
4–0 Thailand Thailand
6–1 South Korea South Korea
China 2008 Summer Olympics Round 1 2–2 New Zealand New Zealand 3 / 4
0–1 United States United States
5–1 Norway Norway
Quarterfinals 2–0 China China
Semifinals 2–4 United States United States
Third place 0–2 Germany Germany
Japan 2010 East Asian Championship Round 1 2–0 China China
3–0 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
2–1 South Korea South Korea 1 / 4
China 2010 Asian Cup Round 1 8–0 Myanmar Myanmar 1 / 4
4–0 Thailand Thailand
2–1 North Korea North Korea
Semifinals 0–1 Australia Australia
Third place 2–0 China China
China 2010 Asian Games Round 1 4–0 Thailand Thailand 1 / 3
0–0 North Korea North Korea
Semifinals 1–0 China China
Final 1–0 North Korea North Korea
Germany 2011 World Cup Round 1 2–1 New Zealand New Zealand 2 / 4
4–0 Mexico Mexico
0–2 England England
Quarterfinals 1–0 Germany Germany
Semifinals 3–1 Sweden Sweden
Final 2–2 (PSO: 3–1) United States United States Awarded the Fair Play Award
2012 Summer Olympics qualification Final round 3–0 Thailand Thailand
2–1 South Korea South Korea
1–0 Australia Australia
1–1 North Korea North Korea
1–0 China China
United Kingdom 2012 Summer Olympics Round 1 2–1 Canada Canada 2 / 4
0–0 Sweden Sweden
0–0 South Africa South Africa
Quarterfinals 2–0 Brazil Brazil
Semifinals 2–1 France France
Finals 1–2 United States United States
South Korea 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup Final round 2–0 China China
0–0 North Korea North Korea
1–2 South Korea South Korea
Vietnam 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup Round 1 2–2 Australia Australia 1 / 4
4–0 Vietnam Vietnam
7–0 Jordan Jordan
Semifinals 2–1 China China PR
Final 1–0 Australia Australia Awarded the Fair Play Award
Canada 2015 World Cup Round 1 1–0 Switzerland Switzerland 1 / 4
2–1 Cameroon Cameroon
1–0 Ecuador Ecuador
Round of 16 2–1 Netherlands Netherlands
Quarterfinals 1–0 Australia Australia
Semifinals 2–1 England England
Final 2–5 United States United States
Jordan 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup Round 1 4–0 Vietnam Vietnam 2 / 4
0–0 South Korea South Korea
1–1 Australia Australia
Semi-finals 3–1 China China
Final 1–0 Australia Australia Awarded the Fair Play Award
Indonesia 2018 Asian Games Round 1 2–0 Thailand Thailand 1 / 3
7–0 Vietnam Vietnam
Quarter-finals 2–1 North Korea North Korea
Semi-finals 2–1 South Korea South Korea
Final 1–0 China China
France 2019 World Cup Round 1 0–0 Argentina Argentina 2 / 4
2–1 Scotland Scotland
0–2 England England
Round of 16 1–2 Netherlands Netherlands
Japan 2020 Summer Olympics Round 1 1–1 Canada Canada 3 / 4
0–1 United Kingdom Great Britain
1–0 Chile Chile
Quarterfinals 1–3 Sweden Sweden
India 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup Round 1 5–0 Myanmar Myanmar 1 / 4
3–0 Vietnam Vietnam
1–1 South Korea South Korea
Quarterfinals 7–0 Thailand Thailand
Semifinals 2–2 (PSO: 3–4) China China
Japan 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women) Final round 2–1 South Korea South Korea
4–1 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
0–0 China China 1 / 4


source:[24]

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Japan women's national football team results
See also: 2024 in Japanese football

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   Fixtures

2023

[edit]
Main article: 2023 Japan women's national football team
1 November 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R2 Japan  2–0  Vietnam Tashkent, Uzbekistan
15:00 UTC+5
Report Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium
30 November Friendly Brazil  4–3  Japan São Paulo, Brazil
15:15 UTC−3
Report
Stadium: Arena Corinthians
Referee: María Victoria Daza [es] (Colombia)
3 December Friendly Brazil  0–2  Japan São Paulo, Brazil
11:00 UTC−3 Report
Stadium: Estádio do Morumbi

2024

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24 February 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R3 North Korea  0–0  Japan Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:04 UTC+3 Report (JFA) Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
28 February 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R3 Japan  2–1
(2–1 agg.)		  North Korea Tokyo, Japan
18:30 UTC+9
Report (JFA) Stadium: Japan National Stadium
Attendance: 20,777
6 April SheBelieves Cup SF United States  2–1  Japan Atlanta, United States
12:30 ET
Report (JFA)
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Attendance: 50,644
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)
9 April SheBelieves Cup 3rd Japan  1–1
(0–3 p)		  Brazil Columbus, United States
16:00 ET
Report (JFA)
Stadium: Lower.com Field
Attendance: 12,001
Referee: Danielle Chesky (United States)
Penalties
31 May Friendly Japan  2–0  New Zealand Murcia, Spain
16:00 UTC+2
Report (JFA) Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)
3 June Friendly Japan  4–1  New Zealand Murcia, Spain
16:00 UTC+2
Report (JFA)
Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)
13 July MS&AD Cup Japan  4–0  Ghana Kanazawa, Japan
15:20 UTC+9
Report (JFA) Stadium: Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium
Attendance: 9,648
Referee: Oh Hyeon-jeong (Korea)
19 July Unofficial friendly Japan  1–1  Colombia Le Touquet, France
25 July 2024 Olympic Games GS Spain  2–1  Japan Nantes, France
17:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire
28 July 2024 Olympic Games GS Brazil  1–2  Japan Paris, France
17:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Parc de Princes
31 July 2024 Olympic Games GS Japan  3–1  Nigeria Nantes, France
17:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire
Referee: Emikar Calderas (Venezuela
3 August 2024 Olympic Games QF United States  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Japan Paris, France
15:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Parc de Princes
Attendance: 43,004
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)
26 October Mizuho Blue Dream Match[25] Japan  4–0  South Korea Tokyo, Japan
14:20 UTC+9
Report (JFA)
Report (KFA)		 Stadium: Japan National Stadium
Attendance: 12,420
25 November Friendly Japan  v  Morocco Calais, France
Stadium: Stade de l'Épopée

All-time results

[edit]
Main article: Japan women's national football team results
As of 26 October 2024
Results by year[26] FIFA ranking by year[27]
Year Pld W D L Win % FR BR WR BC BF
Total 12 7 2 3 058.33 7 3 14 Increase 5 Decrease 4
2024 12 7 2 3 058.33

Head-to-head record

[edit]
As of 3 August 2024, after the match against  United States.

Staff

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Coaching staff

[edit]
See also: List of Asian women's national football team managers
As of 4 October 2024.
Role Name Start date Ref.
Head coach Japan Norio Sasaki (interim) October 2024 [30]
Assistant coach Michihisa Kano [ja] October 2024
Assistant coach Atsuto Uchida October 2024
Goalkeeper coach Toshihiro Nishiiri October 2024
Physical coach Keisuke Otsuka [ja] October 2024

Head coach history

[edit]
Main page: Template:Japan women's national football team managers
See also: Category:Japan women's national football team managers
Name Years Matches Won Drawn Lost Win %
Japan Seiki Ichihara (市原 聖曠) 1981 0 0 0 0 0%
Takao Orii (折井 孝男) 1984 0 0 0 0 0%
Ryohei Suzuki (鈴木 良平) 1986–1989 0 0 0 0 0%
Satoshi Miyauchi (宮内 聡) 1997–1999 0 0 0 0 0%
Shinobu Ikeda (池田 司信) 2000–2001 0 0 0 0 0%
Eiji Ueda (上田 栄治) 2002–2004 0 0 0 0 0%
Hiroshi Ohashi (大橋 浩司) 2004–2008 0 0 0 0 0%
Norio Sasaki (佐々木 則夫) 2008–2016 0 0 0 0 0%
Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子) 2016–2021 0 0 0 0 0%
Futoshi Ikeda (池田 太) 2021–2024 33 21 4 8 55.56%
Norio Sasaki (佐々木 則夫) 2024–present (interim) 0 0 0 0
As of 3 December 2023, after the match against  Brazil.

Players

[edit]
Main article: List of Japan women's international footballers
See also: Category:Japan women's international footballers

Current squad

[edit]

The following 22 players were called up for the friendly against South Korea on 26 October 2024.[31]

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 October 2024, after the match against South Korea.[32]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ayaka Yamashita (山下 杏也加) (1995-09-29) 29 September 1995 (age 29) 76 0 England Manchester City
23 1GK Akane Okuma (大熊 茜) (2004-09-15) 15 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Japan INAC Kobe Leonessa
2 2DF Miyabi Moriya (守屋 都弥) (1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 (age 28) 15 2 Japan INAC Kobe Leonessa
3 2DF Moeka Minami (南 萌華) (1998-12-07) 7 December 1998 (age 25) 57 4 Italy Roma
4 2DF Saki Kumagai (熊谷 紗希) (1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 34) 157 3 Italy Roma
5 2DF Yu Endo (遠藤 優) (1997-10-29) 29 October 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Japan Urawa Reds
6 2DF Tōko Koga (古賀 塔子) (2006-01-06) 6 January 2006 (age 18) 12 1 Netherlands Feyenoord
13 2DF Hikaru Kitagawa (北川ひかる) (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 27) 14 2 Sweden BK Häcken FF
18 2DF Shinomi Koyama (小山 史乃観) (2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Sweden Djurgårdens IF
21 2DF Rion Ishikawa (石川 璃音) (2003-07-04) 4 July 2003 (age 21) 9 0 Japan Urawa Reds
7 3MF Yoshino Nakashima (中嶋 淑乃) (1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 25) 7 2 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina
8 3MF Kiko Seike (清家 貴子) (1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 28) 27 7 England Brighton & Hove Albion
10 3MF Fuka Nagano (長野 風花) (1999-03-09) 9 March 1999 (age 25) 45 1 England Liverpool
12 3MF Momoko Tanikawa (谷川 萌々子) (2005-05-07) 7 May 2005 (age 19) 8 2 Sweden Rosengård
14 3MF Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯) (1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27) 90 20 England Manchester City
15 3MF Aoba Fujino (藤野 あおば) (2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 20) 26 8 England Manchester City
17 3MF Maika Hamano (浜野 まいか) (2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 20) 16 4 England Chelsea
9 4FW Riko Ueki (植木 理子) (1999-07-30) 30 July 1999 (age 25) 40 12 England West Ham United
11 4FW Mina Tanaka (田中 美南) (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 (age 30) 86 39 United States Utah Royals
19 4FW Remina Chiba (千葉 玲海菜) (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 25) 16 4 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
20 4FW Yuzuho Shiokoshi (塩越 柚歩) (1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 27) 7 2 Japan Urawa Reds
22 4FW Manaka Matsukubo (松窪 真心) (2004-07-28) 28 July 2004 (age 20) 0 0 United States North Carolina Courage

(Players are listed within position group by order of kit number, seniority, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.[33]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳) (1996-12-31) 31 December 1996 (age 27) 8 0 Japan Albirex Niigata v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024 INJ
GK Shu Ohba (大場 朱羽) (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 22) 0 0 United States Ole Miss Rebels 2024 Summer Olympics ALT
GK Momoko Tanaka (田中 桃子) (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24) 7 0 Japan Tokyo Verdy Beleza v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
DF Hana Takahashi (高橋 はな) (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24) 26 3 Japan Urawa Reds 2024 Summer Olympics
DF Risa Shimizu (清水 梨紗) (1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 28) 78 4 England Manchester City 2024 Summer Olympics INJ
DF Shiori Miyake (三宅 史織) (1995-10-13) 13 October 1995 (age 29) 42 0 Japan INAC Kobe Leonessa v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023
MF Hinata Miyazawa (宮澤 ひなた) (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 24) 37 9 England Manchester United 2024 Summer Olympics
MF Honoka Hayashi (林 穂之香) (1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 26) 33 2 England Everton 2024 Summer Olympics
MF Hina Sugita (杉田 妃和) (1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 27) 47 3 United States Portland Thorns v.  Brazil, 9 April 2024
MF Hikaru Naomoto (猶本 光) (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 30) 40 4 Japan Urawa Reds v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023
FW Mami Ueno (上野 真実) (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28) 11 1 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024 INJ
FW Maya Hijikata (土方 麻椰) (2004-04-13) 13 April 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Japan Tokyo Verdy Beleza v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024 INJ
FW Jun Endo (遠藤 純) (2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 24) 44 5 United States Angel City FC v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023
Notes
  • ALT: Alternate
  • INJ: Injury

Previous squads

[edit]
Bold indicates winning squads

Captains

[edit]

Bold indicates current captain

Records

[edit]
Main article: List of Japan women's international footballers
See also: Category:Japan women's international footballers
As of 3 December 2023

*Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Most capped players

[edit]
# Player Year(s) Caps Goals Ref.
1 Homare Sawa 1993–2015 205 83 [34]
2 Aya Miyama 2003–2016 162 38 [35]
3 Saki Kumagai 2008–present 147 2 [36]
4 Shinobu Ohno 2003–2016 139 40 [37]
5 Yuki Nagasato 2004–2016 132 58 [38]
6 Kozue Ando 1999–2015 126 19 [39]
7 Mizuho Sakaguchi 2006–2019 124 29 [40]
8 Azusa Iwashimizu 2006–2016 122 11 [41]
9 Hiromi Ikeda 1997–2008 119 4
10 Tomoe Kato 1997–2008 114 8

Top goalscorers

[edit]
# Player Year(s) Goals Caps Ref.
1 Homare Sawa 1993–2015 83 205 [34]
2 Yuki Nagasato 2004–2016 58 132 [38]
3 Kaori Nagamine 1984–1996 48 64
4 Shinobu Ohno 2003–2016 40 139 [37]
5 Aya Miyama 2003–2016 38 162 [35]
6 Mana Iwabuchi 2010–2023 36 89 [42]
7 Mio Otani 2000–2007 31 73
8 Futaba Kioka 1981–1996 30 75
Mina Tanaka 2013–present 30 74 [43]
10 Mizuho Sakaguchi 2006–2019 29 124 [40]
Asako Takakura 1984–1999 29 79

Honours

[edit]

Intercontinental

[edit]
Champions: 2011
Runners-up: 2015
Runners-up: 2012

Continental

[edit]
Champions: 2014, 2018
Runners-up: 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001
Champions: 2010, 2018, 2022
Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014

Regional

[edit]
Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019, 2022
Runners-up: 2013, 2017

Other tournaments

[edit]
Runners-up: 2012, 2014

Competitive record

[edit]

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA Women's World Cup

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Squad Coach
China 1991 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 12 −12 Squad Tamotsu Suzuki
Sweden 1995 Quarter-finals 4 1 0 3 2 8 −6 Squad
United States 1999 Group stage 3 0 1 2 1 10 −9 Squad Satoshi Miyauchi
United States 2003 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 Squad Eiji Ueda
China 2007 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 Squad Hiroshi Ohashi
Germany 2011 Champions 6 4 1 1 12 6 +6 Squad Norio Sasaki
Canada 2015 Runners-up 7 6 0 1 11 8 +3 Squad
France 2019 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 Squad Asako Takakura
Australia New Zealand 2023 Quarter-finals 5 4 0 1 15 3 +12 Squad Futoshi Ikeda
Brazil 2027 To be determined
Total 9/10 38 18 4 16 54 62 −8
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
FIFA Women's World Cup history
Year Round Date Opponent Result Stadium
China 1991 Group stage 17 November  Brazil L 0–1 New Plaza Stadium, Foshan
19 November  Sweden L 0–8
21 November  United States L 0–3
Sweden 1995 Group stage 5 June  Germany L 0–1 Tingvallen, Karlstad
7 June  Brazil W 2–1
9 June  Sweden L 0–2 Arosvallen, Västerås
Quarter-finals 13 June  United States L 0–4 Strömvallen, Gävle
United States 1999 Group stage 19 June  Canada D 1–1 Spartan Stadium, San Jose
23 June  Russia L 0–5 Civic Stadium, Portland
26 June  Norway L 0–4 Soldier Field, Chicago
United States 2003 Group stage 20 September  Argentina W 6–0 Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus
24 September  Germany L 0–3
27 September  Canada L 1–3 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
China 2007 Group stage 11 September  England D 2–2 Hongkou Stadium, Shanghai
14 September  Argentina W 1–0
17 September  Germany L 0–2 Yellow Dragon Sports Center, Hangzhou
Germany 2011 Group stage 27 June  New Zealand W 2–1 Ruhrstadion, Bochum
1 July  Mexico W 4–0 BayArena, Leverkusen
5 July  England L 0–2 Impuls Arena, Augsburg
Quarter-finals 9 July  Germany W 1–0 Volkswagen-Arena, Wolfsburg
Semi-finals 13 July  Sweden W 3–1 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt
Final 17 July  United States D 2–2 (3–1 p)
Canada 2015 Group stage 8 June  Switzerland W 1–0 BC Place, Vancouver
12 June  Cameroon W 2–1
16 June  Ecuador W 1–0 Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
Round of 16 23 June  Netherlands W 2–1 BC Place, Vancouver
Quarter-finals 27 June  Australia W 1–0 Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Semi-finals 1 July  England W 2–1
Final 5 July  United States L 2–5 BC Place, Vancouver
France 2019 Group stage 10 June  Argentina D 0–0 Parc des Princes, Paris
14 June  Scotland W 2–1 Roazhon Park, Rennes
19 June  England L 0–2 Allianz Riviera, Nice
Round of 16 25 June  Netherlands L 1–2 Roazhon Park, Rennes
Australia New Zealand 2023 Group stage 22 July  Zambia W 5–0 Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
26 July  Costa Rica W 2–0 Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
31 July  Spain W 4–0 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Round of 16 5 August  Norway W 3–1
Quarter-finals 11 August  Sweden L 1–2 Eden Park, Auckland

Olympic Games

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the Olympics
International Olympic Committee Summer Olympics record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA GD Squad Coach
United States 1996 Round 1 3 0 0 3 2 9 −7 Squad Tamotsu Suzuki
Australia 2000 Did not qualify
Greece 2004 Quarter-finals 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 Squad Eiji Ueda
China 2008 Fourth place 6 2 1 3 11 10 +1 Squad Norio Sasaki
United Kingdom 2012 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 7 4 +3 Squad
Brazil 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020 Quarter-finals 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 Squad Asako Takakura
France 2024 4 2 0 2 6 5 +1 Squad Futoshi Ikeda
Total 6/8 26 9 4 13 31 36 −5 — —
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
Summer Olympics history
Year Round Date Opponent Result Stadium
United States 1996 Group stage 21 July  Germany L 2–3 Legion Field, Birmingham
23 July  Brazil L 0–2
25 July  Norway L 0–4 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Greece 2004 Group stage 11 August  Sweden W 1–0 Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos
14 August  Nigeria L 0–1 Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens
Quarter-finals 20 August  United States L 1–2 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki
China 2008 Group stage 6 August  New Zealand D 2–2 Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Qinhuangdao
9 August  United States L 0–1
12 August  Norway W 5–1 Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai
Quarter-finals 15 August  China W 2–0 Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Qinhuangdao
Semi-finals 18 August  United States L 2–4 Workers Stadium, Beijing
Bronze medal 21 August  Germany L 0–2
United Kingdom 2012 Group stage 25 July  Canada W 2–1 City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
28 July  Sweden D 0–0
31 July  South Africa D 0–0 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Quarter-finals 3 August  Brazil W 2–0
Semi-finals 6 August  France W 2–1 Wembley Stadium, London
Gold medal 9 August  United States L 1–2
Japan 2020 Group stage 21 July  Canada D 1–1 Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
24 July  Great Britain L 0–1
27 July  Chile W 1–0 Miyagi Stadium, Rifu
Quarter-finals 30 July  Sweden L 1–3 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
France 2024 Group stage 25 July  Spain L 1–2 Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
28 July  Brazil W 2–1 Parc des Princes, Paris
31 July  Nigeria W 3–1 Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Quarter-finals 3 August  United States L 0–1 (a.e.t.) Parc des Princes, Paris

AFC Women's Asian Cup

[edit]
AFC Women's Asian Cup record
Hosts / Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GD Squad Coach
Hong Kong 1975 Did not enter
Taiwan 1977 Group Stage 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8 Squad
India 1980 Did not enter
Hong Kong 1981 Group stage 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 Squad
1983 Did not enter
Hong Kong 1986 Runners-up 4 2 0 2 14 4 +10 Squad
Hong Kong 1989 Third place 5 4 0 1 37 1 +36 Squad
Japan 1991 Runners-up 6 4 1 1 27 6 +21 Squad
Malaysia 1993 Third place 5 4 0 1 29 4 +25 Squad
Malaysia 1995 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 27 3 +24 Squad
China 1997 Third place 5 4 0 1 33 1 +32 Squad
Philippines 1999 Fourth place 6 4 0 2 36 6 +30 Squad
Chinese Taipei 2001 Runners-up 6 4 0 2 30 5 +25 Squad
2003 Fourth place 6 4 0 2 34 4 +30 Squad
Australia 2006 5 3 0 2 19 6 +13 Squad
Vietnam 2008 Third place 5 3 0 2 19 7 +12 Squad
China 2010 5 4 0 1 16 2 +14 Squad Norio Sasaki
Vietnam 2014 Champions 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 Squad
Jordan 2018 5 3 2 0 9 2 +7 Squad Asako Takakura
India 2022 Semi-finals 5 3 2 0 18 3 +15 Squad Futoshi Ikeda
Total 17/20 83 55 6 22 365 68 +297 — —
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Asian Games

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the Asian Games
Asian Games record
Host Result M W D L GF GA GD Squad Coach
China 1990 Runners-up 5 3 1 1 17 8 +9 Squad Tamotsu Suzuki
Japan 1994 4 2 1 1 9 3 +6 Squad
1998 Third place 5 3 0 2 18 7 +11 Squad Satoshi Miyauchi
South Korea 2002 5 3 1 1 8 3 +5 Squad Eiji Ueda
Qatar 2006 Runners-up 5 4 1 0 21 1 +20 Squad Hiroshi Ohashi
China 2010 Champions 4 3 1 0 6 0 +6 Squad Norio Sasaki
South Korea 2014 Runners-up 6 4 1 1 28 3 +25 Squad
Indonesia 2018 Champions 5 5 0 0 14 2 +12 Squad Asako Takakura
China 2022 6 6 0 0 39 5 +34 Squad Michihisa Kano [ja]
Japan 2026
Qatar 2030
Total 7/7 34 22 6 6 107 25 +82 — —
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
  • The 2022 edition was rescheduled to September–October 2023; as a result, Japan will send a B team with a separate coaching staff while the senior team competes in its regularly scheduled matches in the September 2023 FIFA international window.[44]

EAFF E-1 Football Championship

[edit]
EAFF E-1 Football Championship record
Host Result M W D L GF GA GD Squad Coach
South Korea 2005 Third place 3 0 2 1 0 1 −1 Squad
China 2008 Champions 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 Squad
Japan 2010 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 Squad
South Korea 2013 Runners-up 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 Squad
China 2015 Third place 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 Squad Norio Sasaki
Japan 2017 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 Squad Asako Takakura
South Korea 2019 Champions 3 3 0 0 13 0 +13 Squad
Japan 2022 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 Squad Futoshi Ikeda
Total 8/8 24 15 4 5 46 18 +28 — —
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
EAFF E-1 Football Championship history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2005 First match  North Korea 0–1 Loss
Second match  China 0–0 Draw
Third match  South Korea 0–0 Draw
2008 First match  North Korea 3–2 Win
Second match  South Korea 2–0 Win
Third match  South Korea 3–0 Win
2010 First match  China 2–0 Win
Second match  Chinese Taipei 3–0 Win
Third match  South Korea 2–1 Win
2013 First match  China 2–0 Win
Second match  North Korea 0–0 Draw
Third match  South Korea 1–2 Loss
2015 First match  North Korea 2–4 Loss
Second match  South Korea 1–2 Loss
Third match  China 2–0 Win
2017 First match  South Korea 3–2 Win
Second match  China 1–0 Win
Third match  North Korea 0–2 Loss
2019 First match  Chinese Taipei 7–0 Win
Second match  China 3–0 Win
Third match  South Korea 1–0 Win
2022 First match  South Korea 2–1 Win
Second match  Chinese Taipei 4–1 Win
Third match  China 0–0 Draw

Algarve Cup

[edit]

The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup."[45]

Portugal Algarve Cup record
Year Result Matches Wins Draws Losses GF GA GD Squad Coach
1994–2010 Did not enter
2011 3rd place 4 3 0 1 9 3 +6 Squad
2012 2nd place 4 3 0 1 8 5 +3 Squad Norio Sasaki
2013 5th place 4 2 0 2 4 4 0 Squad
2014 2nd place 4 2 1 1 4 5 −1 Squad
2015 9th place 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2 Squad
2016 Did not enter
2017 6th place 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2 Squad Asako Takakura
2018 6th place 4 2 0 2 6 9 −3 Squad
2019–2023 Did not enter
Total 7/27 28 16 1 11 45 36 +9 — —

Cyprus Women's Cup

[edit]
Cyprus Cyprus Women's Cup record
Year Result GP W D L GF GA GD Squad Coach
2008 3rd place 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 Squad
Total 1/13 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 — —

SheBelieves Cup

[edit]

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the United States.

United States SheBelieves Cup record
Year Result Matches Wins Draws Losses GF GA Squad Coach
2016–2018 Did not enter
2019 Third place 3 1 1 1 5 6 Squad Asako Takakura
2020 Fourth place 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad
2021 Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic[46]
2022 Did not enter
2023 Runners-up 3 1 0 2 3 2 Squad Futoshi Ikeda
2024 Fourth place 2 0 1 1 2 3 Squad
Total 4/9 11 2 2 7 12 18
SheBelieves Cup history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2019 First match  United States 2–2 Draw
Second match  Brazil 3–1 Win
Third match  England 0–3 Loss
2020 First match  Spain 1–3 Loss
Second match  England 0–1 Loss
Third match  United States 1–3 Loss
2023 First match  Brazil 0–1 Loss
Second match  United States 0–1 Loss
Third match  Canada 3–0 Win
2024 First match  United States 1–2 Loss
Second match  Brazil 2–2 (0–3 (p)) Draw

Tournament of Nations

[edit]

The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years hosted by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in several American cities.[47] The inaugural tournament was held in 2017.

The 2021 edition would have been a pre-Olympics tournament due to the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics.[48] On May 6, 2021, however, the USSF announced that it would no longer hold Tournament of Nations because recent changes in international windows by FIFA made a round-robin tournament unfeasible.[49]

United States Tournament of Nations record
Year Result Matches Wins Draws Losses GF GA Squad Coach
2017 Third place 3 0 1 2 3 8 Squad Asako Takakura
2018 Fourth place 3 0 0 3 3 8 Squad
Total 2/2 6 0 1 5 6 16 — —

See also

[edit]
National teams
Men's
Women's

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Japan Football Association" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 January 2012.
  3. ^ "なでしこジャパン". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Japan: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". Archived from the original on 26 August 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Japan claim maiden title". fifa.com. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  6. ^ "2015 FIFA Women's World Cup: Complete Tournament Results". ABC News. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b Jean Williams (2021). The History of Women's Football. Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 978-15-267-8531-2.
  8. ^ a b "Caught in time: the England women's football team jet off to Japan in September 1981". Women's Football Archive. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ^ "沿革・歴史｜JFA｜日本サッカー協会". www.jfa.jp.
  10. ^ JFA to show appreciation for support from football family FIFA
  11. ^ Japan banner a global message FIFA
  12. ^ "Japan edge USA for maiden title". FIFA. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Women's World Cup final: Japan beat USA on penalties". BBC Sport. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  14. ^ "Olympics football: USA beat Japan to secure gold in Wembley thriller". BBC. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Class war among Japanese Olympic footballers". ABC. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Nadeshiko Japan beats Australia to win Women's Asian Cup". The Japan Times. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Japan lift 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup". Goal.com. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  18. ^ "[Tokyo 2021] Jeux Olympiques (football, groupe E) : La Grande-Bretagne garde la tête, le Japon en quart dans la douleur". coeursdefoot.fr. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  19. ^ "The lowest share of possession for a winning side at the FIFA Women". Opta Joe. 31 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Women's World Cup Daily: Matildas send Canada out; Japan cruise". ESPN. 31 July 2023.
  21. ^ Cox, Michael (31 July 2023). "Japan are the best side at the World Cup so far – Spain didn't know how to cope with them". The Athletic.
  22. ^ "Japan teach Spain a lesson in counter-attacking football". Opta Analyst. 31 July 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023.
  23. ^ Rose, Gary (6 August 2023). "Japan 3–1 Norway". BBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: Media Guide" (PDF). jfa.jp. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Mizuho Blue Dream Match 2024 [10/26] top". JFA. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  26. ^ "Japan [Women] » Historical results". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  27. ^ "World Ranking Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  28. ^ a b Australia, Chinese Taipei only record at the time of enrollment
  29. ^ Played as Czechoslovakia
  30. ^ "なでしこジャパン（日本女子代表） 韓国代表戦チームスタッフ決定　MIZUHO BLUE DREAM MATCH 2024（10.26 東京／国立競技場）". JFA (in Japanese). 4 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) squad & schedule - MIZUHO BLUE DREAM MATCH 2024 vs Korea Republic Women's National Team (10/26＠Tokyo)". JFA. 18 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Selected players / Staffs". JFA. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Players & Staffs Information[2024]". JFA. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  34. ^ a b "MF 澤 穂希 SAWA Homare" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  35. ^ a b "MF 宮間 あや MIYAMA Aya" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  36. ^ "DF 熊谷 紗希 KUMAGAI Saki" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  37. ^ a b "FW 大野 忍 OHNO Shinobu" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  38. ^ a b "FW 永里 優季 NAGASATO Yuki" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  39. ^ "MF 安藤 梢 ANDO Kozue" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  40. ^ a b "MF 阪口 夢穂 SAKAGUCHI Mizuho" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  41. ^ "DF 岩清水 梓 IWASHIMIZU Azusa" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  42. ^ "FW 岩渕真奈 IWABUCHI Mana" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Nadeshiko Japan | National Teams｜JFA｜Japan Football Association". www.jfa.jp. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  44. ^ "Japan Women's National Team squad & schedule - The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 (9/22-10/6)". www.jfa.jp.
  45. ^ "Women's game thriving in the Algarve". FIFA. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  46. ^ "Argentina Replaces Japan at 2021 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa". US Soccer. 28 January 2021.
  47. ^ "Five Things To Know About the 2017 Tournament of Nations". 20 July 2017.
  48. ^ Linehan, Meg; Tenorio, Paul (26 February 2021). "USMNT, USWNT schedules, World Cup host city process: USSF board meeting notes". The Athletic. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  49. ^ "U.S. SOCCER TO HOST THE 2021 WNT SUMMER SERIES PRESENTED BY AT&T 5G FEATURING THE USA, PORTUGAL, JAMAICA AND NIGERIA". US Soccer. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Japan women's national association football team.
Sporting positions
Preceded by World Champions
2011 (first title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Champions
2014 (first title)
2018 (second title) 		Succeeded by
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