Japan women's national football team

This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Japan national football 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). One of the two countries 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]

Japan women's national football team

Nickname(s)	なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan)
Association	JFA
Confederation	AFC
Sub-confederation	EAFF
Head coach	Nils Nielsen
Captain	Yui Hasegawa
Most caps	Homare Sawa (205)
Top scorer	Homare Sawa (83)
FIFA code	JPN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	8 1 (13 December 2024)[1]
Highest	3 (December 2011 – September 2014)
Lowest	14 (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
Appearances	9 (first in 1991)
Best result	Champions (2011)
Olympic Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1996)
Best result	Runners-up (2012)
Asian Cup
Appearances	18 (first in 1977)
Best result	Champions (2014, 2018)
Medal record World Cup 2011 Germany Team 2015 Canada Team Olympic Games 2012 London Team Asian Cup 2014 Vietnam Team 2018 Jordan Team 1986 Hong Kong Team 1991 Japan Team 1995 Malaysia Team 2001 Chinese Taipei Team 1989 Hong Kong Team 1993 Malaysia Team 1997 China Team 2008 Vietnam Team 2010 China Team 2022 India Team Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou Team 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team 2022 Hangzhou Team 1990 Beijing Team 1994 Hiroshima Team 2006 Doha Team 2014 Incheon Team 1998 Bangkok Team 2002 Busan Team
Website	jfa.jp/eng/nadeshikojapan/

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

1970s and 1980s

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 (1990s)

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 (2002-2008)

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

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.

2008 Summer Olympics

After qualifying from the preliminary round, Nadeshiko faced the United States, Norway and New Zealand in Group C of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing.

In the first match, they drew 2-2 with the Football Ferns of New Zealand and then lost 1-0 to the Americans in the second match. However, as the two best third-placed teams progressed, Japan secured qualification for the quarter-finals with a 5-1 win over Norway in the final match of the group phase.

In the quarter-finals, the Japanese eliminated the host China with a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Homare Sawa and Yuki Nagasato. It was the first time that Japan had advanced beyond the quarter-finals in any international women's football competition.

At the semifinals, Japan met the United States again, but just like in the group stage, the Americans came out on top, winning 4-2. In the bronze medal match, Nadeshiko ended up being defeated by Germany 2-0.

2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Like the 2008 Women's Olympic Football Tournament, the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup was also held in China. Japan was drawn in Group A with North Korea, Thailand and Myanmar.

After two thrashings against Myanmar (7-0) and Thailand (4-0), Nadeshiko finished the group stage as leaders, beating North Korea 2-1. In the semi-finals, however, they were defeated by Australia thanks to a goal by Kate Gill before the end of the first half. The Matildas would go on to win the tournament.

In the third-place play-off, Japan defeated hosts China 2-0 and secured the last Asian spot in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup (Australia and North Korea also qualified as finalists in that tournament).

Golden Period and World Champions (2011–2015)

2011 World Cup

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]

After finishing third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup, Japan qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 finals in Germany. There were certain doubts whether Nadeshiko would play in that tournament due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which happened a couple of months before, but the participation was confirmed at the last minute.

After finishing second in their group behind England, Japan shocked the world beating 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

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 AFC Women's Asian Cup

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 defending champions 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 Matildas.^[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

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.

In a all-Asian quarterfinal 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.

Asian domination and Brief decline (2016–2022)

2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Defending champions Japan won in 2014 and played in the continental competition held in Jordan in a group with then-runners-up Australia, South Korea and Vietnam. In Group C, Nadeshiko beat the Vietnamese 4-0 and drew the following two games against the South Koreans and the Australians. As Japan, Australia and South Korea each finished with 5 points, the tiebreaker was goal difference and the Japanese finished second behind Australia (the goal difference was also decisive for Japan to secure a direct spot in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup over South Korea).

In the semi-finals, Japan defeated again China by 3–1 with a goal from Mana Iwabuchi and two goals from Kumi Yokoyama. The final match in Amman was a repeat of the 2014 final between Japan and Australia, in which Nadeshiko defeated the Matildas again thanks to a goal scored by Yokoyama in the 84th minute. It was Japan's second continental title and their second title in a row.

2019 World Cup

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

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).

2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Still suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was seeking its third consecutive continental title in India. In the first phase, Nadeshiko beat Myanmar (5-0) and Vietnam (3-0) and drew 1-1 with South Korea, finishing first in the group.

In the quarterfinals, they secured a direct spot in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by beating Thailand 7-0. However, their dream of a third consecutive championship ended when they were defeated by China in the semifinals on penalties by 4-3 after a 2-2 draw that lasted until 120 minutes of extra time.

The New Era (2023–Today)

2023 World Cup

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.

Paris 2024 Olympic Women's Football Tournament

After eliminating North Korea in the third round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the Nadeshiko Japan returned to qualify for an Olympic Games for the first time since London 2012 (they failed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Games). In the first match against Spain, they opened the score with a beautiful free-kick shoot from Aoba Fujino, but the Spanish came back by winning 2-1 with the goals of Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey. Against Brazil in the second match, the Nadeshiko was losing the match by 1-0 until the final stoppage time when a penalty kick of Saki Kumagai and a 40-meter goal shot from Momoko Tanikawa turned the match around and prevented Japan from being eliminated in the group stage until then.

In the last match of the group phase against Nigeria, the Japanese qualified to the quarter-finals winning the Nigerians by 3-1 with goals from Maika Hamano, Mina Tanaka and a free-kick from Hikaru Kitagawa. Although they made a great match against United States in the quarter-finals, Japan was eliminated losing to the Americans by 1-0 due to a goal of Trinity Rodman. At the end, Nadeshiko Japan end the Paris campaign in the fifth place, the best of the non-semifinalists.

Team image

Nicknames

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

The term “Yamato nadeshiko” (which came the expression) was an old expression often used to describe the traditional Japanese woman as a woman who was beautiful and delicate on the outside but strong and determined on the inside, although she was often submissive to men. In fact, the word Yamato is the name given to the race and ethnicity of people from which Japan was formed (as it is also the name of the Japanese imperial dynasty that rules the country to this day). In modern times, the term “Yamato Nadeshiko” has been updated to mean “a modest woman” who is both strong, mature and determined, as well as beautiful, delicate and graceful.

The nickname was coined by the Japan Football Association in 2004 after a fan vote during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, which was intended to convey that the Japanese female player was strong and brave like an athlete, feminine like a woman and Japanese with both a patriotic and nationalistic character. At first, it was not widely accepted by the public and the media until the 2011 Women’s World Cup. After the 2011 World Cup title, the expression Nadeshiko completely changed to “the female football player from Japan”.^[24]

Home stadium

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

China

Both Japan and China was the first nations to became Asian continental powerhouses in women's football at 1970s. While the Steel Roses had a dominance by the decades of 1980, 1990 and 2000, Nadeshiko Japan reversed the rivalry and the dominance in the beginning of the 2010s. It's the biggest women's football rivalry in the continent.

Australia

Main article: Australia–Japan football rivalry

Although the first match between both national teams started in 1984, since the Australians came to AFC in 2006 both Nadeshiko Japan and the Matildas created the most significant women's football rivalry in Asia with a lot of AFC Women's Asian Cup title matches and a FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinal.

North Korea

Another big rival of Nadeshiko Japan, the Azaleas from North Korea created this rivalry at the same time than the rivalry of Japan with China. Although the North Koreans don't play a lot of recently matches against the Japanese in professional terms, in the U-20 and U-17 competitions is the biggest rivalry of the continent.

South Korea

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

Unlike men's football, the rivalry between Japan and South Korea in women's football is still recent (created in the 1990s). But it's not a rivalry below due to the history of the two countries.

United States

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

Outside Asia, the biggest rival of Nadeshiko Japan is United States. Both teams created the rivalry in the 1980s and both teams have always faced each other in decisive instances, including two consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup finals recently in 2011 and 2015.

Overall competitive record

• 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

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

source:^[25]

Results and fixtures

Main article: Japan women's national football team results

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

• Historical results (2010–present) – JFA.jp

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

2024

North Korea  v  Japan

24 February Olympic Qualifiers R3	North Korea	0–0	Japan	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:04 UTC+3		Report (JFA)		Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium

Japan  v  North Korea

28 February Olympic Qualifiers R3	Japan	2–1 (2–1 agg.)	North Korea	Tokyo, Japan
18:30 UTC+9	Hana Takahashi 26' Aoba Fujino 77'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Japan National Stadium Attendance: 20,777

United States  v  Japan

6 April SheBelieves Cup SF	United States	2–1	Japan	Atlanta, United States
12:30 ET	Shaw 21' Horan 77' (pen.)	Report (JFA)	Seike 1'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 50,644 Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

Japan  v  Brazil

9 April SheBelieves Cup 3rd	Japan	1–1 (0–3 p)	Brazil	Columbus, United States
16:00 ET	Tanaka 35'	Report (JFA)	Cristiane 71'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 12,001 Referee: Danielle Chesky (United States)
	Penalties
	Seike Nagano Hasegawa		Cristiane Tarciane Angelina

Japan  v  New Zealand

31 May Friendly	Japan	2–0	New Zealand	Murcia, Spain
16:00 UTC+2	Tanaka 45+2' Koga 47'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)

Japan  v  New Zealand

3 June Friendly	Japan	4–1	New Zealand	Murcia, Spain
16:00 UTC+2	Hamano 49', 60' Fujino 66' Chiba 80'	Report (JFA)	Clegg 22'	Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)

Japan  v  Ghana

13 July MS&AD Cup	Japan	4–0	Ghana	Kanazawa, Japan
15:20 UTC+9	Tanaka 51' Hamano 65' Fujino 67' Ueki 80'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium Attendance: 9,648 Referee: Oh Hyeon-jeong (Korea)

Japan  v  Colombia

19 July Unofficial friendly	Japan	1–1	Colombia	Le Touquet, France
			Ramírez

Spain  v  Japan

25 July Olympic Games GS	Spain	2–1	Japan	Nantes, France
17:00 UTC+2	Bonmatí 22' Caldentey 74'	Report	Fujino 13'	Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire

Brazil  v  Japan

28 July Olympic Games GS	Brazil	1–2	Japan	Paris, France
17:00 UTC+2	Jheniffer 56'	Report	Kumagai 90+2' (pen.) Tanikawa 90+6'	Stadium: Parc de Princes

Japan  v  Nigeria

31 July Olympic Games GS	Japan	3–1	Nigeria	Nantes, France
17:00 UTC+2	Hamano 22' Tanaka 32' Kitagawa 45+5'	Report	Echegini 42'	Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire Referee: Emikar Calderas (Venezuela

United States  v  Japan

3 August Olympic Games QF	United States	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Japan	Paris, France
15:00 UTC+2	Rodman 105+2'	Report		Stadium: Parc de Princes Attendance: 43,004 Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)

Japan  v  South Korea

26 October Mizuho Blue Dream Match[26]	Japan	4–0	South Korea	Tokyo, Japan
14:20 UTC+9	Kitagawa 33' Fujino 34' Tanaka 37' Tanikawa 56'	Report (JFA) Report (KFA)		Stadium: Japan National Stadium Attendance: 12,420

• Fixtures & Results (2024), JFA.jp

2025

Japan  v  Australia

20 February SheBelieves Cup	Japan	4–0	Australia	Houston, United States
16:00 UTC−6	Tanaka 6', 32' Hamano 52' Minami 75'			Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium

Colombia  v  Japan

23 February SheBelieves Cup	Colombia	v	Japan	Glendale, United States
13:00 UTC−7				Stadium: State Farm Stadium

United States  v  Japan

26 February SheBelieves Cup	United States	v	Japan	San Diego, United States
19:30 UTC−8				Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium

Japan  v  Colombia

6 April Friendly	Japan	v	Colombia	Osaka, Japan
14:00 UTC+9				Stadium: Yodoko Sakura Stadium

• Fixtures & Results (2025), JFA.jp

All-time results

Main article: Japan women's national football team results

As of 21 February 2025

Results by year[27]						FIFA ranking by year[28]
Year	Pld	W	D	L	Win %	FR	BR	WR	BC	BF
Total	13	8	2	3	061.54	7	3	14	5	4
2025	1	1	0	0	100.00
2024	12	7	2	3	058.33

Head-to-head record

As of 21 February 2025, after the match against  Australia.

Head-to-head record AFC[29] (Asia) Team (nation) Pld W D L  South Korea 34 19 11 4  North Korea 30 10 8 12  China 44 17 10 17  Chinese Taipei 25 18 1 6  Thailand 14 13 0 0  Vietnam 14 14 0 0  Philippines 4 4 0 0  Australia 28 12 8 8  Hong Kong 8 8 0 0  Indonesia 2 2 0 0  India 5 4 0 1  Malaysia 2 2 0 0  Nepal 2 2 0 0  Singapore 2 2 0 0  Uzbekistan 3 3 0 0  Guam 3 3 0 0  Myanmar 3 3 0 0  Jordan 4 4 0 0 Total 223 138 37 48 CAF (Africa) Team (nation) Pld W D L  Nigeria 6 5 0 1  South Africa 2 1 1 0  Ghana 2 2 0 0  Cameroon 1 1 0 0  Zambia 1 1 0 0 Total 12 10 1 1 CONCACAF (North and Central America) Team (nation) Pld W D L  United States 40 1 8 31  Canada 16 8 4 4  Mexico 8 6 1 1  Costa Rica 2 2 0 0  Panama 2 2 0 0 Total 67 19 13 35

Head-to-head record CONMEBOL (South America) Team (nation) Pld W D L  Brazil 17 7 4 6  Argentina 6 5 1 0  Colombia 2 1 1 0  Chile 2 1 1 0  Ecuador 1 1 0 0  Paraguay 1 1 0 0 29 16 7 6 OFC[29] (Oceania) Team (nation) Pld W D L  New Zealand 13 11 2 0 Total 13 11 2 0 UEFA (Europe) Team (nation) Pld W D L  Italy 8 1 0 7  Germany 14 1 2 11  France 8 3 0 5  Sweden 15 5 3 7  Russia 6 4 0 2  England 10 1 2 7  Norway 10 7 0 3  Czech Republic[30] 1 0 0 1  Slovakia 1 1 0 0  Finland 3 2 0 1  Great Britain 1 0 0 1  Hungary 1 1 0 0  Austria 1 1 0 0  Denmark 9 5 1 3  Netherlands 9 4 1 4  Scotland 3 3 0 0  Portugal 2 2 0 0  Iceland 4 3 0 1  Switzerland 2 2 0 0  Spain 6 1 1 4  Belgium 1 0 1 0  Serbia 1 1 0 0 Total 116 48 11 57 458 240 71 147

Staff

Coaching staff

See also: List of Asian women's national football team managers

As of 12 December 2024

Role	Name	Start date	Ref.
Manager	Nils Nielsen	12 December 2024	[31]
Assistant coach	Michihisa Kano	5 January 2025	[32]
Assistant coach	Leah Blayney	5 January 2025	[33]
Goalkeeper coach	Toshihiro Nishiiri	5 January 2025	[32]
Physical trainer	Ryugo Okamoto	5 January 2025	[32]
Technical director	Mitsumasa Kosugi	5 January 2025	[32]

• Players & Staffs (2025), JFA.jp

Head coach history

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 %
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 (interim)	1	1	0	0	100%
Nils Nielsen (ニルス・ニールセン)	2024–present	1	1	0	0	100%

As of 21 February 2025

Players

Main article: List of Japan women's international footballers

See also: Category:Japan women's international footballers

Current squad

The following 23 players were named to the squad for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup on 20–26 February 2025.^[34]

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 October 2024, after the match against South Korea.^[35]

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	Manchester City
12	1GK	Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳)	(1996-12-31) 31 December 1996 (age 28)	9	0	Albirex Niigata
23	1GK	Akane Okuma (大熊 茜)	(2004-09-15) 15 September 2004 (age 20)	0	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
2	2DF	Saori Takarada (宝田 沙織)	(1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 (age 28)	22	1	Leicester City
3	2DF	Moeka Minami (南 萌華)	(1998-12-07) 7 December 1998 (age 26)	57	4	Roma
4	2DF	Saki Kumagai (熊谷 紗希)	(1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 34)	157	3	London City Lionesses
5	2DF	Hana Takahashi (高橋 はな)	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 25)	31	3	Urawa Reds
6	2DF	Tōko Koga (古賀 塔子)	(2006-01-06) 6 January 2006 (age 19)	12	1	Feyenoord
13	2DF	Hikaru Kitagawa (北川ひかる)	(1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 27)	14	2	BK Häcken FF
21	2DF	Miyabi Moriya (守屋 都弥)	(1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 (age 28)	15	2	Angel City FC
7	3MF	Hinata Miyazawa (宮澤 ひなた)	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 25)	42	9	Manchester United
8	3MF	Manaka Matsukubo (松窪 真心)	(2004-07-28) 28 July 2004 (age 20)	0	0	North Carolina Courage
10	3MF	Fuka Nagano (長野 風花)	(1999-03-09) 9 March 1999 (age 25)	45	1	Liverpool
14	3MF	Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯)	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 28)	90	20	Manchester City
15	3MF	Aoba Fujino (藤野 あおば)	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 21)	26	8	Manchester City
16	3MF	Momoko Tanikawa (谷川 萌々子)	(2005-05-07) 7 May 2005 (age 19)	8	2	Bayern Munich
17	3MF	Maika Hamano (浜野 まいか)	(2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 20)	16	4	Chelsea
18	3MF	Honoka Hayashi (林 穂之香)	(1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 26)	36	2	Everton
20	3MF	Narumi Miura (三浦 成美)	(1997-07-03) 3 July 1997 (age 27)	32	1	Washington Spirit
22	3MF	Yuka Momiki (籾木 結花)	(1996-04-09) 9 April 1996 (age 28)	41	14	Leicester City
9	4FW	Riko Ueki (植木 理子)	(1999-07-30) 30 July 1999 (age 25)	40	12	West Ham United
11	4FW	Mina Tanaka (田中 美南)	(1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 (age 30)	86	39	Utah Royals
19	4FW	Remina Chiba (千葉 玲海菜)	(1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 25)	16	4	Eintracht Frankfurt

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

Recent call-ups

The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.^[36]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Shu Ohba (大場 朱羽)	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Ole Miss Rebels	2024 Summer Olympics ALT
GK	Momoko Tanaka (田中 桃子)	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza	v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
DF	Rion Ishikawa (石川 璃音)	(2003-07-04) 4 July 2003 (age 21)	9	0	Urawa Reds	2025 SheBelieves Cup INJ
DF	Yu Endo (遠藤 優)	(1997-10-29) 29 October 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Urawa Reds	v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024
DF	Shinomi Koyama (小山 史乃観)	(2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Djurgårdens IF	v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024
DF	Risa Shimizu (清水 梨紗)	(1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 28)	78	4	Manchester City	2024 Summer Olympics INJ
MF	Kiko Seike (清家 貴子)	(1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 28)	27	7	Brighton & Hove Albion	2025 SheBelieves Cup INJ
MF	Yoshino Nakashima (中嶋 淑乃)	(1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 25)	7	2	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024
MF	Hina Sugita (杉田 妃和)	(1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 28)	47	3	Portland Thorns	v.  Brazil, 9 April 2024
FW	Yuzuho Shiokoshi (塩越 柚歩)	(1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 27)	7	2	Urawa Reds	v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024
FW	Mami Ueno (上野 真実)	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28)	11	1	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	Tokyo Verdy Beleza	v.  South Korea, 26 October 2024 INJ

Notes

• ALT: Alternate
• INJ: Withdrew due to injury

Previous squads

Bold indicates winning squads

FIFA Women's World Cup 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Olympic Games 1996 Summer Olympics 2004 Summer Olympics 2008 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Olympics 2016 Summer Olympics 2020 Summer Olympics

AFC Women's Asian Cup 2014 Women's AFC Asian Cup 2018 Women's AFC Asian Cup 2022 Women's AFC Asian Cup Asian Games 1990 Asian Games 1994 Asian Games 1998 Asian Games 2002 Asian Games 2006 Asian Games 2010 Asian Games 2014 Asian Games 2018 Asian Games 2022 Asian Games

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Captains

Bold indicates current captain

• Yumi Obe (?–2004)
• Hiromi Ikeda (2004–2008)
• Homare Sawa (2008–2012)
• Aya Miyama (2012–2016)
• Saki Kumagai (2016–present)

Records

Main article: List of Japan women's international footballers

See also: Category:Japan women's international footballers

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

As of 21 February 2025

Most capped players

#	Player	Year(s)	Caps	Goals	Ref.
1	Homare Sawa	1993–2015	205	83	[37]
2	Aya Miyama	2003–2016	162	38	[38]
3	Saki Kumagai	2008–present	158	3	[39]
4	Shinobu Ohno	2003–2016	139	40	[40]
5	Yuki Nagasato	2004–2016	132	58	[41]
6	Kozue Ando	1999–2015	126	19	[42]
7	Mizuho Sakaguchi	2006–2019	124	29	[43]
8	Azusa Iwashimizu	2006–2016	122	11	[44]
9	Hiromi Ikeda	1997–2008	119	4
10	Tomoe Kato	1997–2008	114	8

Top goalscorers

#	Player	Year(s)	Goals	Caps	Ref.
1	Homare Sawa	1993–2015	83	205	[37]
2	Yuki Nagasato	2004–2016	58	132	[41]
3	Kaori Nagamine	1984–1996	48	64
4	Mina Tanaka	2013–present	41	87	[45]
5	Shinobu Ohno	2003–2016	40	139	[40]
6	Aya Miyama	2003–2016	38	162	[38]
7	Mana Iwabuchi	2010–2023	36	89	[46]
8	Mio Otani	2000–2007	31	73
9	Futaba Kioka	1981–1996	30	75
10	Mizuho Sakaguchi	2006–2019	29	124	[43]
Asako Takakura	1984–1999	29	79

Honours

Intercontinental

• FIFA Women's World Cup

Champions: 2011

Runners-up: 2015

• Olympic Games

Runners-up: 2012

Continental

• AFC Women's Asian Cup

Champions: 2014, 2018

Runners-up: 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001

• Asian Games

Champions: 2010, 2018, 2022

Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014

Regional

• EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019, 2022

Runners-up: 2013, 2017

Other tournaments

• Algarve Cup

Runners-up: 2012, 2014

Summary

Competition				Total
FIFA Women's World Cup	1	1	0	2
Olympic Games	0	1	0	1
AFC Women's Asian Cup	2	4	5	11
Asian Games	3	4	2	9
Total	6	10	7	23

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA Women's World Cup

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
1991	Group stage	3	0	0	3	0	12	−12	Squad	Tamotsu Suzuki
1995	Quarter-finals	4	1	0	3	2	8	−6	Squad
1999	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	10	−9	Squad	Satoshi Miyauchi
2003		3	1	0	2	7	6	+1	Squad	Eiji Ueda
2007		3	1	1	1	3	4	−1	Squad	Hiroshi Ohashi
2011	Champions	6	4	1	1	12	6	+6	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2015	Runners-up	7	6	0	1	11	8	+3	Squad
2019	Round of 16	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	Squad	Asako Takakura
2023	Quarter-finals	5	4	0	1	15	3	+12	Squad	Futoshi Ikeda
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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

Main article: Japan at the Olympics

Summer Olympics record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
1996	Round 1	3	0	0	3	2	9	−7	Squad	Tamotsu Suzuki
2000	Did not qualify
2004	Quarter-finals	3	1	0	2	2	3	−1	Squad	Eiji Ueda
2008	Fourth place	6	2	1	3	11	10	+1	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2012	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	7	4	+3	Squad
2016	Did not qualify
2020	Quarter-finals	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	Squad	Asako Takakura
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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

AFC Women's Asian Cup record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
1975	Did not enter
1977	Group Stage	2	0	0	2	0	8	−8	Squad
1980	Did not enter
1981	Group stage	3	1	0	2	1	3	−2	Squad
1983	Did not enter
1986	Runners-up	4	2	0	2	14	4	+10	Squad
1989	Third place	5	4	0	1	37	1	+36	Squad
1991	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	27	6	+21	Squad
1993	Third place	5	4	0	1	29	4	+25	Squad
1995	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	27	3	+24	Squad
1997	Third place	5	4	0	1	33	1	+32	Squad
1999	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	36	6	+30	Squad
2001	Runners-up	6	4	0	2	30	5	+25	Squad
2003	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	34	4	+30	Squad
2006		5	3	0	2	19	6	+13	Squad
2008	Third place	5	3	0	2	19	7	+12	Squad
2010		5	4	0	1	16	2	+14	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2014	Champions	5	4	1	0	16	3	+13	Squad
2018		5	3	2	0	9	2	+7	Squad	Asako Takakura
2022	Semi-finals	5	3	2	0	18	3	+15	Squad	Futoshi Ikeda
2026	Qualified
Total	17/20	83	55	6	22	365	68	+297	—	—

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

• A Japanese representative side FC Jinnan representing Japan participated in the 1977 AFC Women's Championship.^[7][8]

Asian Games

Main article: Japan at the Asian Games

Asian Games record
Host	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
1990	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	17	8	+9	Squad	Tamotsu Suzuki
1994		4	2	1	1	9	3	+6	Squad
1998	Third place	5	3	0	2	18	7	+11	Squad	Satoshi Miyauchi
2002		5	3	1	1	8	3	+5	Squad	Eiji Ueda
2006	Runners-up	5	4	1	0	21	1	+20	Squad	Hiroshi Ohashi
2010	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	0	+6	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2014	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	28	3	+25	Squad
2018	Champions	5	5	0	0	14	2	+12	Squad	Asako Takakura
2022		6	6	0	0	39	5	+34	Squad	Michihisa Kano [ja]
2026
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.^[47]

EAFF E-1 Football Championship

EAFF E-1 Football Championship record
Host	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
2005	Third place	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1	Squad
2008	Champions	3	3	0	0	8	2	+6	Squad
2010		3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	Squad
2013	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	Squad
2015	Third place	3	1	0	2	5	6	−1	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2017	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	4	4	0	Squad	Asako Takakura
2019	Champions	3	3	0	0	13	0	+13	Squad
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

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."^[48]

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

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

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the 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[49]
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
2025		1	1	0	0	4	0	Squad	Nils Nielsen
Total	5 / 9	12	3	2	7	16	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
2025	First match	Australia	4–0	Win
	Second match	Colombia
	Third match	United States

Tournament of Nations

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.^[50] 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.^[51] 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.^[52]

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	—	—

Tournament of Nations history
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	First match	Brazil	1–1	Draw
	Second match	Australia	2–4	Loss
	Third match	United States	0–3	Loss
2018	First match	United States	2–4	Loss
	Second match	Brazil	1–2	Loss
	Third match	Australia	0–2	Loss

See also

National teams

Men's

• Japan national football team
• 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

Women's

• Japan women's national under-20 football team
• Japan women's national under-17 football team
• Japan women's national futsal team

• Asia portal
• Japan portal
• Sports portal
• Association football portal
• Women's association football portal

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External links

• Official website

Sporting positions
Preceded by 2007 Germany	World Champions 2011 (first title)	Succeeded by 2015 United States
Preceded by 2010 Australia	Asian Champions 2014 (first title) 2018 (second title)	Succeeded by 2022 China