Agree about the uniforms -- dreadful. Easily the worst I've seen since the 1990s. Looking over the groups and knockout stages, I'll predict a JPN-North Korea final. As far as World Cup qualifying goes, there is not really much drama since 6 out of the 12 teams will qualify. I would expect South Korea, China, Oz, and possibly the Philippines to scrape through. I see Iran is losing to South Korea at the moment -- must be difficult to concentrate on the match..
She had likely been given some rest before U20 training camp: 🔹U-20日本女子代表候補🔹U-20日本女子代表候補は、2/26(木)に3泊4日の国内トレーニングキャンプを終えました🇯🇵⛺️2/25(水)には市立船橋高校(男子)とのトレーニングマッチを実施⚽… pic.twitter.com/oWnzhl1nDI— JFAなでしこサッカー (@jfa_nadeshiko) February 27, 2026
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My game for Asian Cup: Japan vs Chinese Taipei 1 Predict exact score (100pts) 2 Japanese scorers (3, 10pts, perfect 3, 50pts, nobody, 300pts) 3 at least two goals scorer (1, 50pts, nobody, 50pts) 4 at least three goals scorer (1, 100pts, nobody, 10pts)
FYI: Choe Il-Son, the 19yo who killed our hopes in U20 and U17 World Cups (and swept all possible individual awards) has been selected for 2026 Asian Cup and plays with no. 8. On the bench in their first match today, I'll certainly be looking forward to see how she's used and performing there.
DPRK 3:0 UZB Impressive first half by DPRK, the physicality difference between the teams was glaring. One look at ANY Korean player is enough to say she is in great shape: fast, strong and aggressive.. They play intensive, dominating style we all now well from U20s and U17s, trying to take the ball away at your very first touch. Constantly moving in attack, precise passing, pretty patient, but also schematic and without much of imagination what to do when first planned combination doesn't work. Didn't notice any individual brilliance in such moments and overall. Also their final crosses were pretty inaccurate. Of course, to have it working against them, you need to score a goal first, which defintely won't be easy. Choe Il-son was not used.
AFC Asian Womens Cup F.T....CHN 2-0 BAN If you have chance to watch this game in it's entirety you will not be disappointed If you watched this game I think you will agree the young women of Bangladesh won many many admirers today. Best game so far imo
I watched parts of it, and agree 100%. Also I thought the Iranian women did not play badly at all. Missed the Philippines game, but keeping the home team to 1-0 was a good showing. Encouraging signs for Asian football.
Great debut by Bangladesh teenagers. It's like nobody told them they were playing against reigning champions!
13th Feb. press conference: Norio Sasaki, JFA Women's Committee Chairperson The World Cup qualifiers are finally here. The tournament begins with the qualifiers, so we will do our best to win through Asia and show everyone a vibrant performance from Nadeshiko Japan at the World Cup. Watching the Japanese players' hard work at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games on TV, I was deeply touched by the beauty of sport. I hope that Nadeshiko Japan can share similar experiences with everyone and inspire as many young girls as possible to become interested in soccer. Nils Nielsen, Nadeshiko Japan Coach The Asian Cup is a very important tournament for us. Historically, it has not been easy for Japan to win, but our current team has set its sights on winning the tournament and making new history. Nadeshiko Japan is like a flower. A beautiful flower attracts bees to drink its nectar, which produces even more beautiful honey. By showing the kind of football that brings you good fortune and attracting attention, we hope to work with fans, the media, and many others to create beautiful honey.
3rd March 2026 press conference: Nils Nielsen, Nadeshiko Japan Coach This will be my first time competing in the AFC Women's Asian Cup, but I'm happy to be participating and grateful for the excellent tournament organization. We've prepared thoroughly, so we'll focus on our playing model and style, adapting to the events that arise during the match and making necessary adjustments. While every team is strong, Japan has the depth to field every player and has undergone excellent training, so all we need to do is execute our game plan. Since I took over, both players and staff have been preparing openly and working together to improve. I'm happy to be a part of Japan's incredible history as a women's soccer player, and while we aim to win the tournament, we'll remain humble and demonstrate Japan's technical capabilities. 2 DF Risa Shimizu Coming from the sunless UK, I can feel the heat, but Japanese people tolerate it well, so I don't think it'll be a big problem. I actively communicate with the younger players, sharing and receiving, and we're having a great time both on and off the pitch. Asian players have similar physiques and unique rhythms, so I want to be mindful of that. I want to capitalize on Japan's strengths of keeping possession of the ball and moving forward at a good pace. I think the key will be to score early and calm the game. I was away from the team for a while due to injury, but I was supported by many people, so I want everyone to see me play on the pitch and show me how I can communicate something. 13 DF Hikaru Kitagawa The heat is tough, but we've gotten used to it after a week of preparation, and the pleasant sunny weather has been a fulfilling experience. Our fullbacks have been honing their skills overseas, and we want to show off our strengths from the group stage and win with multiple goals. In a situation where the opponent is playing a defensively-focused game, we want to create space by getting involved from the back and demonstrating fluidity, then steal the ball from the high press and launch counterattacks to get close to scoring. The level of the Asian competition is rising, so I don't think it will be an easy tournament to win, but I will identify areas for improvement throughout the tournament and improve myself as an individual, day by day. 7 MF Hinata Miyazawa At my club, I played five games in two weeks, and I've experienced consecutive matches despite travel and time differences, so I think I'm accustomed to playing in matches. This tournament will also feature consecutive matches, so I'm sure I'll be able to put my experience to good use in terms of recovery and physical movement. When the conditions are the same as the opponent, mentality matters in the end, so I want to bring that back to the team. As a defensive midfielder, I want to control the timing of calming down in midfield, the timing of penetrating forward, and making quick decisions in transition. On defense, I want to thwart the opponent's counterattacks and take the initiative. I'll be patient and look for the right timing to attack, and when the opportunity arises, I'd like to use my speed to move forward and contribute to scoring. 8 MF Kiko Seike I participated in many national team activities last year and have grown accustomed to long-distance travel, so I have no concerns about my condition. While confident in my positive image and sense at club level, I hope to fit into the role required of me on the national team and maximize my strengths. In tournaments, results are everything, not content. The coach has asked me to be aggressive and finish attacks quickly, so I will increase the number of plays that directly lead to goals. I feel confident in my side breakthroughs, so I hope to break down the defense with both team and individual strength and win. This will be my first time at the AFC Women's Asian Cup, so I'm looking forward to it. While a dominant victory would be ideal, I'll aim to win by winning even 1-0. 10 MF Fuka Nagano I went through some tough times at my club, but I gradually got a feel for my positioning and how to advance with turns. I've been able to perform well against strong opponents, and I feel I still have room to grow. With the national team, I want to hold my own in one-on-one situations and get the ball to my forwards in a good position. No match in Asia is easy, and even the slightest slackness can lead to overwhelm. I want to maintain our standards, eliminate wasteful mistakes, and thoroughly eliminate miscommunication to win. Shooting from midfield is also effective against teams that sit back, so I want to take it without hesitation when I have the chance. There are many high-level players, so I want to share ideas and overcome them. 26 FW Maya Hijikata At first, the heat was a shock to my body and I had headaches, but I'm in good condition thanks to my consistent club performance. I'm determined and committed to this important World Cup qualifier, and I envision quickly integrating with the team and expressing myself while playing in matches. I'm inspired by Tanaka Mina's ball-holding and scoring ability, as well as her teammates' trust and her determination to repeatedly reposition and rework her movements to score. I want to contribute not only by scoring goals and starting attacks, but also with my aggressiveness and dedication. In Asian matches, I won't be distracted by fouls or stalling, and I'll focus on how I approach crosses against teams that sit back, how I get behind the defense even in tight spaces, and how I reposition after receiving the ball.
Some random thoughts on Nadeshiko Japan Women National Team before their World Cup Qualifiers from a barely novice football observer. Football fashion. The Nadeshiko Japan Team Uniforms are lacking imagination and devoid of interesting contrasting colors and look ill fitting on these women's bodies. On the topic of fashion that is adorning our beloved Nadeshiko Japan currently I could not help but notice how fashionably dressed our Yui Hasegawa was when she arrived coming off the bus to greet her fellow players. She looked very chic and upper class with her matching expensive looking bag. Playing favourites. I am now torn between Momoko Tanikawa and Yui Hasegawa as my current favourite Nadeshiko Japan player. Perhaps I am not the only one? The elephant in the room. In my opinion I think Nadeshiko Japan has never had this many players at any time in their history of the advanced pedigree of skills they possess then they have presently with this generation of active players. Nadeshiko Japan has more players overseas playing internationally on a global stage gaining all sorts of football experience and I humbly put it out there for debate that the current coach Mr Nielsen is not as great or good as he could be. The role of the coach is to be an excellent tactician and to be able to put all the moving parts of the team to be one cohesive unit. I do not believe Mr Nielsen has not proven this consistently and without a shadow of doubt during his tenure so far. Mr Nielsen may prove me wrong in 2026 but I would welcome me being wrong on my intuition. I wish him well on his journey to achieve this cohesion I believe I have not seen consistently during his coaching reign as I really do wish he succeeds and the Nadeshiko Japan Women can lift the World Cup. One thing I will say in Mr Nielsen's favour is he seems to let the players play more freely than previous generation of Nadeshiko which is not a bad thing.
I consider this Asian Cup his litmus test. They need to bring some serious silverware home, beating US in 2025 SBC was nice, but last big tournament trophy this team lifted was 8 years ago. They are simply too good to not leave some respectable legacy behind. These players are arguably in best form ever in their careers and in optimum age - the golden generation of 2014 U17 and 2018 U20 World Champions who are in their late twenties now certainly won't be in better physical shape four years from now. Overall, there are no serious injuries of crucial players, their international experience is highest in history (including 2011 World Champions!), they have absolute world class superstar, two times Ballon d'Or nominee Hasegawa, arguably two best ManUnited and Bayern players at the moment in Miyazawa and Tanikawa, 2025 NWSL best midfielder Matsukubo, a lot of seasoned starters for top level foreign clubs and even the legend herself behind their back in Kumagai. There are simply no excuses. 2026 Asian Cup and 2027 World Cup are their time to shine.
Hello mates, long time no see! It's time for proper senior tournament football again! I'm excited to see how this crop of excellent players with plenty of overseas experience will do in this Asian Cup. Funny that Sasaki mentioned the Winter Olympics. I was really impressed by the Japanese athletes, in particular the figure skaters. Commentators praised the technical abilities of the Japanese team, making me draw parallels to Japanese football. It was a shame the skaters couldn't win gold in very tight competitions except for the pair event. So I hope I'll see Nadeshiko win Gold to compensate for it! As for Nielsen: Wow, is he trying to seduce us? If that's what awaits us in this Asian Cup, then I'll happily let him seduce me!
AFC Womens Asian Cup Watching warm up session...there's gonna be debates about the coach the tactics player selection and much more but I think there is one thing that we can all agree about before a ball is kicked... This is the worst NT kit EVER Edit...Ko 5mins...thank goodness they are not wearing THAT kit (the one with the red cut away shorts)