The Japan national under-23 football team(Japanese: U-23サッカー日本代表)is a national
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
youth team of Japan and is controlled by the
Japan Football Association
The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football, futsal, beach soccer and efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the national team, as well as club competitions.
History
The organisat ...
. The team won the gold medal at the
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...
and were champions in the
2016 AFC U-23 Championship. Since 1992, it was decided that teams targeting athletes under the age of 23 will participate in the Olympics (additional provisions for overage limits have been added since 1996). Therefore, the name changes to Japan national under-22 football team the year before the Olympics and Japan national under-21 football team
two years prior. The exception to this is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for one year, so in 2021, the team will be called the Japan national under-24 football team.
Team image
Nicknames
"サムライ・ブルー (
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
Blue)" basically refers to the
Japan national football team
The , nicknamed the , represents Japan in men's international Association football, football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan.
Japan was not a major football force until the e ...
, but the under-23 football team are sometimes referred to as ''"Young" Samurai Blue''. However, in reality, ''Samurai Blue'' is not often used.
Rivalries
South Korea
Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Media coverage
Summer Olympics
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Friendly and Qualifiers
; Dubai Cup U-23
Results and fixtures
;Legend
2022
U-23/University
Fixtures & Results (U-23) JFA.jp
U-21
JFA.jp
Head-to-head record
, ''after the match against .''
The following table shows Japan under-23 team's all-time international record.
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
Players
On the following lists, each player's age and club on the squad lists refers to the release date of the call-ups of each under-23 section. However, the recent call-ups section does not utilize this method.
Current U-23 squad
The following players were called up for a friendly match against
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
on 23 September 2022.
Current U-22 squad
The following players were called up for the
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification was an international men's under-23 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Uzb ...
, where they played against
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
and
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, in October 2021.
Current U-21 squad
The following players were called up for friendly matches against
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
on 18 and 22 November 2022, respectively.
Current University squad
The following players were called up for a "intern" friendly match against Japan U-21s on May 2022.
The players' age display their ages at the time of the call-up.
Recent U-23, U-22, and U-21 call-ups
The following players have been called up to an under-23, under-22, or under-21 squad in the past 12 months. Each players' age and clubs are updated frequently.
INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
U23 Player selected for an U-23 squad
U22 Player selected for an U-22 squad
U21 Player selected for an U-21 squad
''(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, seniority, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)''
Previous squads
:''Bold indicates winning squads''
;Olympic Games
*
1996 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2000 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2004 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2008 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2012 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2016 Summer Olympics Squad
*
2020 Summer Olympics Squad
;AFC U-23 Asian Cup
*
2013 AFC U-22 Championship Squad
*
2016 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
*
2018 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
*
2020 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
*
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Squad
;Asian Games
*
2002 Asian Games Squad
*
2006 Asian Games Squad
*
2010 Asian Games Squad
*
2014 Asian Games Squad
*
2018 Asian Games Squad
Overaged playes in the Olympic Games
Manager history
Records
:
:''Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.''
:''Caps and goals is calculated by all national team level include U21, U22, and U23.''
Most capped players
Top goalscorers
Competitive record
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
Olympic Games
Match history
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Match history
Asian Games
Match history
See also
*
Sport in Japan
Sports in Japan are a significant part of Japanese culture. Both traditional sports such as sumo and martial arts, and Western imports like baseball, association football, basketball and tennis are popular with both participants and spectators.
S ...
**
Football in Japan
Football is among the most popular sports in Japan, together with baseball, basketball, sumo and martial arts. Its nationwide organization, the Japan Football Association, administers the professional football leagues, including J.League, which ...
***
Women's football in Japan
Women's football in Japan is one of the rising powers of women's football.
History
The first women's football team in Japan was formed in 1966.
In the first national female football tournament in 1980, women played 8-a-side football and on small ...
*
Japan Football Association (JFA)
*
Kirin Cup
The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which nationa ...
(Invitational tournament)
* (International friendly match)
*
Kirin Company
is a Japanese integrated beverages company. It is a subsidiary of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.
Its major operating units include Kirin Brewery Company, Limited, Mercian Corporation and Kirin Beverages Company, Limited. Kirin is a member o ...
;National teams
;Men's
*
National football team
**
Results and fixtures
***
2020–present
**
International footballers
*National under-23 football team
*
National under-20 football team
*
National under-17 football team
*
National futsal team
*
National under-20 futsal team
*
National beach soccer team
;Women's
*
National football team
**
Results and fixtures
***
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
**
International footballers
*
National under-20 football team
*
National under-17 football team
*
National futsal team
References
External links
*
Japan national under-21 football team (2022)– official website a
JFA.jp*
Japan national under-24 football team (2021)– official website a
JFA.jp*
Japan national under-23 football team (2020)– official website a
JFA.jp*
Japan national team 2021 schedulea
JFA.jp
{{Navboxes
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{{Japan men's football squad 1996 Summer Olympics
{{Japan men's football squad 2000 Summer Olympics
{{Japan men's football squad 2004 Summer Olympics
{{Japan men's football squad 2008 Summer Olympics
{{Japan men's football squad 2012 Summer Olympics
{{Japan men's football squad 2016 Summer Olympics
Youth football in Japan
Asian national under-23 association football teams
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...