SheBelieves Cup team preview: Japan

Japan lining up at the SheBelieves Cup in 2023. Photo: JFA

The SheBelieves Cup football tournament is invite only which is held in different cities across the United States during February and March.

It was founded 9 years ago in 2016 and the current champions are the United States with 7 titles. The sides in this year's tournament include the world number one (United States), Japan (Currently 7th), Australia (15th) and Colombia (21st). 

Japan have been a regular in the tournament appearing on four (2019, 2020, 2023, 2024) occasions. Last year, they lost out on a final place after the USA defeated Japan 2-1. Other teams include the likes of England, France, Germany and Iceland who have been included throughout the years.

Japan has a good chance of performing well in this tournament based on past tournaments and the players they have in the squad. My prediction for the Japan side would be making it to the final against the USWNT.

Japan have plenty of strengths which they can put to use in the tournament this time round. Their midfield is stacked with league experience and many players play with each other and against each other and know their players strengths.

Aoba Fujino and Yui Hasegawa both play with each other week in week out at Manchester City and therefore know how each other play and can help the Japan side win the tournament this year. 

Danish Nils Nielsen has been part of the furniture since 2024. He first led the Denmark women’s national team to runners up in the Women’s Euro 2017 after being with the squad between 2013 and 2017.

In 2018, he was the assistant manager for the China women’s national under-20 team and took them to the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup. He then moved over to Switzerland and was manager of their squad between 2018 and 2022. 

He joined the City Football Academy in May 2023 and was the Women’s Director of Football, and took charge of coach and player development across the first team as well as leading player recruitment across the women and girls pathway. 

Head Coach Nils Nielsen named a 23-player squad with some familiar faces of which many readers will recognise.

In the net, Akaya Yamashita (Manchester City), Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata Ladies) and Akane Okuma (INAC Kobe Leonessa) all got called up.

Seven players at the back were called up from Nielson on this occasion. Saki Kumagai (London City Lionesses), Hikaru Kitagawa (BK Hacken), Moeka Minami (AS Roma), Saori Takarada (Leicester City), Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds Ladies), Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds Ladies) and Toko Koga (Feyenoord) will help the goalkeepers against Australia, USA and Colombia. 

In Midfield, Nielsen named 10 players of which eight of them play in the Women’s Super League. Narumi Miura (Washington Spirit) and Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich) are the only players to play outside the WSL in the midfield role. Yuka Momiki (Leicester City), Kiko Seike (Brighton and Hove Albion), Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Honoka Hayashi (Everton), Fuka Nagano (Liverpool), Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United), Aoba Fujino (Manchester City), and Maika Hamano (Chelsea) fill the ten spots up in midfield. 

Finalising the squad up are three players who play in three different countries for their club. Mina Tanaka (Utah Royals), Remina Chiba (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Riko Ueki (West Ham) finish off Nils Nielsen 23 player squad for the shebelieves cup. 

Japan will play in three match days in Houston, Glendale and San Diego. They first will face Australia at the Shell Energy Stadium (Houston, Texas) on Thursday February 20th at 4pm (US Local Time). 

The side will then travel to State Farm Stadium in Glendale Arizona as they take on Colombia. The match will be played on February 23rd with kick off commencing at 12pm (US Local Time). 

Finally the side faces the World Champions United States at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The game is the second in the double header with the match kicking off at 7.30pm (US Local Time). 

Japan has plenty of key players to see them through and put them in a good position. Key players include WSL giants Yui Hasegawa and Maika Hamano as well as Washington Spirits Narumi Miura. Yui Hasegawa and Maika Hamano are important for Manchester City and Chelsea respectively and help both sides win their respective games. Narumi Miura appeared in all 26 matches for Spirit in 2024 and completed over 2,000 minutes, which shows that she is an important character for Spirit. 

One to watch would be Fuka Nagano of Liverpool as she dominates the midfield in the North West of England. She very quickly made herself a key part in the team after she started all of Liverpool’s remaining games in the 2022/23 season after signing in January 2023.

Liverpool finished in 4th which was their highest league position since their WSL win in 2014 and during the 2023/24 season she started 21 out of the 22 league games available and proved a pivotal player for the reds.