On Tuesday 23 October, Coach TAKAKURA Asako of the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) appeared in a press-conference held at the JFA House (Tokyo) and announced the team squad for the upcoming international friendly match against the Norway Women's National Team scheduled to be held at Bird Stadium, Tottori on Sunday 11 November.

Following their success at the AFC Women's Asian Cup Jordan 2018 where they earned their spot into the FIFA Women's World Cup, the team went onto take the title at the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Coach Takakura spoke about the two tournaments, “Winning the two titles has given us great confidence. At the same time, it gave the players a sense of urgency that they cannot compete at the world level if they don’t step up their game.”

A total of 28 players were named in the squad ahead of this year’s final team activity. The list featured many of the members who plays in the domestic league and fought in the Asian Games like SAMESHIMA Aya (INAC Kobe Leonessa), while the team captain KUMAGAI Saki (Olympique Lyonnais/France) and the other members who plays overseas were listed as well.

In addition, Coach Takakura named four players from the U-20 Japan Women's National Team who won the recent FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018. The captain of the U-20 squad, MINAMI Moeka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies) and the lefty ENDO Jun (JFA Academy Fukushima) were named into the squad for the first time, while NAGANO Fuka (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels/Korea Republic) and MIYAZAWA Hinata (Nippon TV Beleza) will be seeking for their first national team cap.

With the World Cup fast approaching, Coach Takakura spoke regarding the 28 players she has selected, “I want them to showcase their individual strengths within the boundaries of the team strategy. I hope that they can determine what they are asked to do during this camp and give their very best to earn their spot into the final roster.” The match against the European powerhouse, Norway, will be a valuable match for the team and the players.

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team)

This year’s final team activity will be our first step towards the FIFA Women's World Cup, and it will set up the foundation for the team to build up on. We have selected 28 players including four players from the recent FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, who we thought they can leave an instant impact to the team. Norway has always been at the top tier of the world, and they were always competing for 1st and 2nd place of the world when I was a player. They have developed many wonderful players and many of those players have played in Japan over the years, which ultimately helped the Japanese women’s football community grow into the current state. In the past, they have showcased a simple style of utilising the long-balls, but in the recent matches, they seem to have been challenging to take advantage of their techniques and collective tactics. Their #10, Graham HANSEN can control the match at a very high-level and her last passes can change the game. We will be facing a very difficult match.

Schedule

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

International Friendly Match

Sun. 11 November 2018 14:00 Kick-off
Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) vs Norway Women's National Team
Bird Stadium, Tottori

Tournament Information