On Wednesday 20 March, Coach TAKAKURA Asako of the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) held a press-conference at the JFA House in Tokyo and announced the 23-player roster for their Europe Tour scheduled in April.

Despite selecting players from a wide pool of players in the past call-ups, with this Europe tour being their final tour held overseas ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup France, Coach Takakura decided to select the core players from their recent USA Tour (2019 SheBelieves Cup) and made no surprise call-ups.

During their tour to the USA, the team played against the USA, Brazil, England, and finished with a record of one win, one draw, and one loss. Regarding her selection, Coach Takakura shared her thoughts, “We have a pretty good idea on how we want to approach our matches. We are in our final phase to construct the team, so while we try out all players, we want to solidify our line-up.”

The team is scheduled to face the France Women’s National Team in France on Thursday 4 April, followed by a match against the Germany Women’s National Team in Germany on Tuesday 9. In the most recent FIFA rankings (announced in December) where Japan was ranked eighth, Germany was ranked second, while France was ranked third. Japan has last faced France in 2015, Germany in 2014, both at the Algarve Cup and this will be their first time facing the two sides since Coach Takakura took over the helm.

When asked about the two teams they’re facing, Coach Takakura mentioned, “Both teams have made a drastic change over the four-year cycle. I have spoken with both coaches, and they shared the same struggle while going through the phase of alternation. But their match records show that they were successful with that phase.”

With their first match of the FIFA Women's World Cup France scheduled on Monday 10 June, this tour will provide the team with a valuable opportunity to simulate the travel and the environment surrounding their daily routines in France. The tour will also give the team an opportunity to showcase their capabilities against the European powerhouses.

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan

Following our tour to the USA, we are in our final phase to solidify our roster for the FIFA Women's World Cup France. I have selected players who are capable of playing at the world stage at the individual level, while consisting the ability to play as a team. I have also mentioned to the players that weren’t selected to this tour, to maintain their conditions at a high level and prepare to play in the tournament. By facing teams that are ranked second and third in the world, it gives us the opportunity to see how Japan can compete against the world. We hope to make this a successful tour. The younger players have exceeded my expectations and proved that they can put up a fight against the world. I have high hopes for their potential, and after observing the next two matches, I will be making my final decision to select my squad for the World Cup.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

International Friendly Match - Europe Tour

Tour Dates: Sun. 31 March - Thu. 11 April 2019
Venue: Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Benteler Arena

Match Information