Japan national under-23 football team

national association football team

The Japan national under-23 football team is a national association football youth team of Japan and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. The team won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games 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).

Japan U23
Nickname(s)サムライ・ブルー
(Samurai Blue)
AssociationJapan Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
Head coachHajime Moriyasu
CaptainTsuyoshi Watanabe
Most capsKensuke Nagai
Keigo Higashi
(31 each)
Top scorerShoya Nakajima (19)
FIFA codeJPN
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Malaysia 1–1  Japan
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; December 1990)[1]
Biggest win
 Japan 13–0  Philippines
(Hong Kong; 12 June 1999)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 6–1  Japan
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 6 February 1994)
Summer Olympics
Appearances7 (first in 1996)
Best resultFourth place (2012)
AFC U-23 Championship
Appearances4 (first in 2013)
Best resultWinner (2016)
Asian Games
Appearances5 (first in 2002)
Best result Gold Medal (2010)

Competitive record change

Olympic Games change

AFC U-23 Asian Cup change

Asian Games change

References change

  1. Hyung-Jin Yoon (6 May 2006). "Japan - International Results U-23 (Olympic) Team [Malaysia (1) – Japan (1)]". RDFC. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

Other websites change