# Japan national football fixtures 2026 > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/japan-national-football-friendlies-2026 > Updated: 2026-08-07T00:59:22.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 3. Following an early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Japan Football Association scheduled a series of friendlies and a revived Kirin Cup to rebuild the squad. Japan hosted Uruguay (ranked 20th) on 24 September in Miyagi and faced Venezuela (ranked 47th) on 28 September in Hiroshima as part of a South‑American three‑match series. The Kirin Cup resumes in October, with Japan opening the tournament against Ecuador on 1 October at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The winner of that match will meet the victor of the Panama vs New Zealand semi‑final on 5 October, also in Tokyo, to decide the tournament champion. Coach Hajime Moriyasu emphasised that the fixtures provide strong preparation ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers and the 2027 Asian Cup. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-07: Japan to open Kirin Cup against Ecuador on Oct. 1 Japan will open the Kirin Cup against Ecuador on 1 Oct, with the winner meeting Panama or New Zealand in the final on 5 Oct, per the Japan FA announcement. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-to-open-kirin-cup-against-ecuador-on-oct-1 ### 2026-08-03: Japan national football team sets Kirin Cup fixtures vs Uruguay, Ecuador, Panama and New Zealand Japan's Samurai Blue will face Uruguay in Miyagi on Sep 24 and host Ecuador, Panama or New Zealand in the Oct 1‑5 Kirin Cup, while forward Daizen Maeda reunited with teammate Ayumu Seko at club level in Europe. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-national-soccer-team-to-face-uruguay-in-september-friendly-ahead-of-asian-cup ### 2026-07-27: Japan national football team to face Venezuela in September friendly Japan will host Venezuela for a friendly in Hiroshima on 28 September, the first senior A‑match after the 2026 World Cup, with coach Hajime Moriyasu highlighting the challenge. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-national-football-team-to-face-venezuela-in-september-friendly --- Cite as: Japan national football fixtures 2026. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/japan-national-football-friendlies-2026