2026 USWNT Friendlies: Scouting Japan

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: Yui Hasegawa holds the trophy while Honoka Hayashi, Fuka Nagano and Moeka Minami of Japan lie on the Winners Podium after the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) | Corbis via Getty Images Fresh off a first-place finish at the SheBelieves Cup, the United States Women’s National Team is back in action and ramping up toward the fall’s CONCACAF W Championship that will determine World Cup qualifying. Japan is next on the docket for three consecutive friendlies, a scheduling curio which “presents a great challenge and a test against a top-quality opponent.

” The Asian powerhouse is seeking to return to the elite level but has struggled to clinch silverware at international competitions. The first match is scheduled for PayPal Park in San Jose, California, an 18,000-seat venue with a hybrid surface; Lumen Field – a 68,740-seat arena in Seattle, Washington, with recently installed grass – hosts the second fixture; matchup number three will be at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, which seats 18,350 spectators and has a Kentucky bluegrass pitch. These are the 43 rd , 44 th , and 45 th all-time meetings between the two sides, with the USWNT holding a 32-2-8 advantage but falling in the finale of last summer’s SheBelieves Cup (1-2).

Ranked fifth internationally by FIFA, Japan had a mixed 2025 with a bronze medal at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship and an encouraging pair of friendly victories over Canada (3-0, 1-0). This year got off to a phenomenal start with a title at the AFC Asian Cup; なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan) rolled Group C with wins against Chinese Taipei (2-0), India (11-0), and Vietnam (4-0), followed by dispatching the Philippines (7-0), South Korea (4-1), and Australia (1-0) in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds, respectively. However, a mere 12 days after the tournament closed, Nils Nielsen departed from the head coach position at the expiration of his contract, with some domestic reports speculating on his inability to win the World Cup.

A successor is expected to be hired shortly after the upcoming friendlies; Michihisa Kano has been named to an interim role. The 49-year-old Osakan previously led the Under-20 team to a silver medal at the 2024 Under-20 World Cup. View this post on Instagram Kano named a 24-player roster for the trio of friendlies.