'Will the tears of the World Cup be wiped away?' Japan to hold return match against Brazil in November A-match... "Nice to meet you again" after five months

*This content was translated by AI.

The Japanese men's national football team will play friendly A-matches against Brazil and Paraguay in Singapore this November.

The Japan Football Association officially announced on the 3rd that it will participate in the four-nation friendly tournament "Mizuho Blue Challenge The Kallang Football Series," to be held at the National Stadium in Singapore from November 13 to 17.

Japan, Singapore, Paraguay, and Brazil will participate in the tournament. Japan will face Brazil on the 14th and Paraguay on the 17th in succession. Kickoff times will be confirmed later.

In particular, the match between Japan and Brazil is a rematch held about five months after their Round of 32 clash at the 2026 North American World Cup. In that match held in Houston, USA, Japan took the lead with an early goal by Kai Shu Sano but suffered a painful comeback defeat, 1-2, after conceding consecutive goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli in the second half. Despite being evaluated as the strongest lineup ever, Japan was forced to end its tournament early due to a string of injuries to key players including Kaoru Mitoma and Wataru Endo.

Although replacement was highly likely following Japan's premature exit from the World Cup, Coach Hajime Moriyasu, who was retained through an unusual six-month short-term contract, will continue to lead the team until the 2027 Asian Cup in January next year. Coach Moriyasu plans to maximize the team's organizational strength through actual matches against South American powerhouses that achieved better results than Japan at the World Cup, aiming for their fifth Asian Cup title (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011). Immediately after the conclusion of the Asian Cup, Kyo Oiwata, the current U-21 national team coach, will take over as the head coach of Seong In (CEO).

Meanwhile, before the November schedule, Japan will also play friendly matches against four countries during the A-match period in September and October: Uruguay on September 24, Venezuela on the 28th, Ecuador on October 1, and New Zealand (on 10/5).

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*This content was translated by AI.