Japan National Football Team, Squad, Injuries, Schedule and Stats

The Japan National football team is one of the biggest football teams on the Asia continent and is the highest-ranked AFC team at 19th. The Japan football team started playing in international competition with the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games, which was followed by the formation of the Japan Football Association in 1921. With the launch of J.League in 1993, the landscape for Japanese football changed and has evolved over the years. The current Japan national football team manager is Hajime Moriyasu, who aims to redefine the playing style of the side. Join us as we take a look at the Japan national football team and its history so far.

Japan National Football Team Key Facts

The Japan National football team nickname is the Samurai Blue, and is governed by the Japan Football Association. While the Japan national football team nickname is immensely popular worldwide, it has been making its presence felt in the Asian football scene. With their recent second-half comeback against Brazil in a 3-2 thriller, Japan football team showcased that they might have huge things ahead of themselves in the upcoming years.

Japan Football Association

The Japan Football Association (JFA) is the governing body for the Japan national football team and is responsible for handling the administration of futsal, beach soccer, and efootball, along with football in Japan. It was founded in 1921 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1929, whereas it got the AFC affiliation in 1954. Tsuneyasu Miyamoto is the current President of JFA and aims to strengthen the Japan football national team players with his vision and overall handling.

History of Japan National Football Team: Early Years

The Japan football team participated in the Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo back in 1917 to commence their international footballing journey. They further participated again in the tournament in 1930 after having a poor start. The Japan football team players further also competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and were the first Asian team to participate and win a match in a major international competition.

Post World War II, Japan football team underwent development and played very few international games. The 1990s saw a rise in the Japan national football team players as they began the professional J.League during this era and also won their first title, the 1992 Asian Cup. Since then, the Japan National football team players have been outperforming the Asian footballing scene.