AFC U23 Asian Cup
The only team to have lifted the coveted trophy twice, Go Oiwa’s side will start as one of the favourites once again.
Factfile
Previous appearances: 6
Best finish: Champions (2016, 2024)
2024 record: Champions
How they qualified: Group B winners
Group B fixtures: v Syria (Jan 7), v UAE (Jan 10), v Qatar (Jan 13)
Fun fact: Japan won both their titles when Qatar hosted the regional showpiece.
Previous appearances: 6
Best finish: Champions (2016, 2024)
2024 record: Champions
How they qualified: Group B winners
Group B fixtures: v Syria (Jan 7), v UAE (Jan 10), v Qatar (Jan 13)
Fun fact: Japan won both their titles when Qatar hosted the regional showpiece.
#AFCU23 | Japan 1 - 0 Uzbekistan
Supreme in the Qualifiers, Japan won against Afghanistan (3-0), Myanmar (2-1) and Kuwait (6-1) with only Myanmar coming close to troubling them.
They needed a stoppage time penalty from Gaku Nawata (pictured below) to take the win against the group hosts and the Gamba Osaka forward is among those Oiwa will expect to carry the challenge for the East Asian side.
They needed a stoppage time penalty from Gaku Nawata (pictured below) to take the win against the group hosts and the Gamba Osaka forward is among those Oiwa will expect to carry the challenge for the East Asian side.
Winner of the Most Valuable Player and Top Goalscorer awards in Japan’s title winning AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Thailand 2023 side, Nawata will be keen to add another continental title to his collection.
With European-based players like Kento Shiogai (NEC Nijmegen), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden), Kenshin Yasuda (Jong Genk) and Keita Kosugi (Djurgardens) in their ranks, Oiwa has valuable experienced options at his disposal.
With European-based players like Kento Shiogai (NEC Nijmegen), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden), Kenshin Yasuda (Jong Genk) and Keita Kosugi (Djurgardens) in their ranks, Oiwa has valuable experienced options at his disposal.
With three West Asian sides standing in their way in Group B, two-time AFC Coach of the Year Oiwa knows there will be no room for error if Japan are to create more history by winning the title for a third time.
