'Controversy over match against weak opponents' differs from Korea... Japan opts for 'radical' final rehearsal with U-19 team, with thorough calculations for 'virtual opponent,' 'penalty kick preparation,' and 'extreme heat'

*This content was translated by AI.

Although the team, ranked 102nd in the FIFA rankings, defeated Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador, both ranked 100th, in consecutive victories, criticism arose over holding a final mock exam against a weak opponent before the World Cup. However, Japan has drawn attention by making a unique choice that is not an official friendly match.

Japanese media Football Zone reported on the 10th that the Japan national football team, led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, played a practice match against their own under-19 (U-19) national team at a pre-camp in Monterrey, Mexico, on the 9th.

Japan, which will play in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, will begin its group stage schedule starting with a match against the Netherlands on the 15th.

Last month on the 31st, Japan secured a 1-0 victory over Iceland (FIFA ranking 73rd) in the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026, held at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, as a World Cup departure ceremony.

Ahead of the North American World Cup, Japan built momentum with six consecutive A-match victories and five consecutive clean sheets, boarding a flight to Mexico for the World Cup.

On this day, the team played its final practice match. The opponent was neither a European team targeting the Netherlands and Sweden nor an African team preparing for the Tunisia match, but the U-19 national team. Given the significant difference in skill levels and the fact that the Japanese Seong In (CEO) team plays a similar style of football, the decision could have seemed puzzling.

However, Coach Moriyasu stated firmly, "Personally, I believe today's match was better than a typical friendly." This practice match was not even a full 90-minute regular game. It was played in four 35-minute quarters under the scorching afternoon sun at 4 p.m.

Coach Moriyasu said, "It was so hot that you wouldn't know unless you played in such weather, and we were able to check our physical condition through movement."

The group stage match against Tunisia is scheduled for 10 p.m., but it will be played outdoors. For this reason, the team experienced a difficult environment in advance. Coach Moriyasu also explained the significance of the practice match, stating, "The players looked tired, but it was a good training match as part of physical training."

Japan conducted penalty shootouts after the second and fourth quarters of the match on this day. While this would have been impossible in a friendly match, the practice match allowed the team to experience penalty shootouts in a situation close to actual competition.

Watanabe said, "I think we wanted to practice penalties in a situation as similar to the World Cup as possible. There haven't been many such scenes in past penalty practice sessions. I believe it was a good experience in terms of being able to take penalties with a good sense of tension."

Coach Moriyasu added, "The big merit is that it can be done flexibly," and noted, "If we felt it was insufficient, we could have extended it further."

Although it may seem like a small-scale match against the Japanese national team, it could have been more beneficial than any other game. While teams often play friendly matches against another European team before facing European opponents, in reality, aside from being in the same continent, the stylistic differences are often significant. In fact, experiencing a team of a similar type does not provide much help.

In that regard, although there may be a gap in skill levels, Japan asked the U-19 national team to play in the style of the Netherlands. Both Watanabe and Coach Moriyasu acknowledged this.

Furthermore, it was thought that allowing U-19 players, who are future national team members, to feel the World Cup atmosphere and play a match would be a significant asset for Japan's football, which operates the national team with a long-term vision. Coach Moriyasu explained, "In terms of raising the level of the entire national family, it is meaningful to let U-19 players feel the World Cup atmosphere up close."

Having all players participate in the match to review tactics and find areas for final improvement was also a significant. Coach Moriyasu expressed great satisfaction, saying, "It was good that we came to Monterrey."

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*This content was translated by AI.