| Australia–Japan football rivalry | |
| Other Names: | Socceroos vs Samurai Blue |
| City Or Region: | Asia (AFC) |
| Teams Involved: | |
| Series: | Australia: 7 Draw: 9 Japan: 11 |
| Most Wins: | Japan (11) |
| Total: | 27 |
| Map Location: | World |
| Map Label1: | Australia |
| Map Label1 Position: | right |
| Map Label2: | Japan |
| Map Label2 Position: | right |
| Coordinates1: | -35°N 149°W |
| Coordinates2: | 35°N 139°W |
The Australia–Japan football rivalry is a sports rivalry that exists between the national association football teams of each country, regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries.[1] The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from several highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.[2] The two teams have played each other in several significant matches, including a World Cup group stage match, the 2011 Asian Cup Final and have been drawn in the same group in five consecutive World Cup qualification campaigns.
The first match between the two teams was played at the 1956 Olympics, ending in a 2–0 win for the Australians.[3] Another dozen matches were played between Australia and Japan until a semi-final match at the 2001 Confederations Cup which ended in a 1–0 for Japan, but the match-up only emerged as a rivalry after 2006, when Australia joined the AFC, especially the FIFA World Cup qualification games.The first match between the two sides after this was during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a group stage game where Australia was still technically competing as Oceania representatives. With just six minutes left, Japan led by a single goal, only for Australia to score thrice in succession to secure their first-ever win in a World Cup Finals match in what is regarded as one of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history.[4]
Several fierce qualifying matches over the next few years enhanced the rivalry, and Japan got revenge for their World Cup defeat by knocking the Socceroos out of the 2007 Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage via penalty shootout. In 2011, Japan again beat the Socceroos in an Asian Cup, this time in the 2011 final with a solitary goal in extra time sealing the championship.
| No. | Date | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 November 1956 | 2–0 |  Olympic Park, Melbourne | ||||||
| 2 | 30 March 1968 | International Friendly | 2–2 | Sydney Showground, Sydney | |||||
| 3 | 31 March 1968 | 3–1 | Olympic Park, Melbourne | ||||||
| 4 | 4 April 1968 | 1–3 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide | ||||||
| 5 | 10 October 1969 | 1–3 | Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul | ||||||
| 6 | 16 October 1969 | 1–1 | Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul | ||||||
| 7 | 22 May 1994 | 1–1 |  Big Arch Stadium, Hiroshima | ||||||
| 8 | 29 September 1994 | International Friendly | 0–0 | National Stadium, Tokyo | |||||
| 9 | 15 February 1995 | 2–1 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | ||||||
| 10 | 10 February 1996 | 1–4 | Brandon Park, Wollongong | ||||||
| 11 | 14 February 1996 | 3–0 | Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne | ||||||
| 12 | 15 February 1998 | 0–3 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide | ||||||
| 13 | 8 June 2001 | 1–0 | International Stadium, Yokohama | ||||||
| 14 | 15 August 2001 | AFC–OFC Challenge Cup | 3–0 | Shizuoka Stadium, Shizuoka | |||||
| 15 | 12 June 2006 | 3–1 |  Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern | ||||||
| 16 | 21 July 2007 | 1–1 (4–3) | Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi | ||||||
| 17 | 11 February 2009 | 0–0 | International Stadium, Yokohama | ||||||
| 18 | 17 June 2009 | 2–1 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | ||||||
| 19 | 29 January 2011 | 0–1 (a.e.t) |  Khalifa International Stadium, Doha | ||||||
| 20 | 12 June 2012 | 1–1 | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | ||||||
| 21 | 4 June 2013 | 1–1 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama | ||||||
| 22 | 25 July 2013 | 3–2 | Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong | ||||||
| 23 | 18 November 2014 | International Friendly | 2–1 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka | |||||
| 24 | 11 October 2016 | 1–1 | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | ||||||
| 25 | 31 August 2017 | 2–0 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama | ||||||
| 26 | 12 October 2021 | 2–1 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama | ||||||
| 27 | 24 March 2022 | 0–2 | Stadium Australia, Sydney | ||||||
| align=center | 28 | align=center | 15 October 2024 | align=center | TBD | ||||
| align=center | 29 | align=center | 5 June 2025 | align=center | TBD |
Like their men's counterparts, the two nations also have a strong rivalry in the women's game, with both Australia and Japan among Asia's highest ranked nations. The two have met regularly in both friendly and competitive matches, in particular having competed often in the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
Since Australia joined Asian Football Confederation in 2006, both Matildas and Nadeshiko became two of the only three Asian nations to finish in the top four of the FIFA Women's World Cup (Japan crowned champions in 2011 and runners-up in 2015 while Australia finish fourth in the 2023 edition).
| No. | Date | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 October 1984 | Xi'an Women's Tournament | 6–2 |  Xi'an | |||
| 2 | 8 December 1984 | World Invitational | 2–2 | Taipei City | |||
| 3 | 4 December 1989 | Prima Cup | 2–2 | Kanagawa | |||
| 4 | 5 December 1989 | Prima Cup | 1–1 | Kanagawa | |||
| 5 | 27 September 1994 | Friendly | 2–2 | Tokyo | |||
| 6 | 9 July 1996 | Friendly | 2–2 |  Fort Lauderdale | |||
| 7 | 31 May 2000 | Pacific Cup | 1–0 | Bruce Stadium, Canberra | |||
| 8 | 6 April 2002 | Tournoi International de France | 1–1 |  Stade Lebon, Angoulême | |||
| 9 | 27 July 2003 | Three Nations Tournament | 0–0 | Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai | |||
| 10 | 26 March 2005 | Two Match Friendly Series | 0–2 | Sydney Olympic Stadium, Sydney | |||
| 11 | 29 March 2005 | Two Match Friendly Series | 2–1 | Seymour Shaw Park, Sydney | |||
| 12 | 23 July 2005 | Friendly | 4–2 | Tokyo | |||
| 13 | 27 July 2006 | 2–0 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide | ||||
| 14 | 19 November 2006 | Friendly | 1–0 | Tokyo | |||
| 15 | 2 June 2008 | 1–3 | Thống Nhất Stadium, Hồ Chí Minh City | ||||
| 16 | 8 June 2008 | 0–3 | |||||
| 17 | 24 July 2008 | Friendly | 3–0 | Kobe | |||
| 18 | 27 May 2010 | 0–1 | Chengdu Sports Centre. Chengdu | ||||
| 19 | 5 September 2011 | 1–0 | Shandong Provincial Stadium, Jinan | ||||
| 20 | 11 July 2012 | Friendly | 3–0 | National Stadium (Tokyo), Tokyo | |||
| 21 | 14 May 2014 | 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup | 2–2 | Thống Nhất Stadium, Hồ Chí Minh City | |||
| 22 | 25 May 2014 | 1–0 | |||||
| 23 | 27 June 2015 | 0–1 |  Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton | ||||
| 24 | 29 February 2016 | 3–1 | Kincho Stadium, Osaka | ||||
| 25 | 30 July 2017 | 2017 Tournament of Nations | 2–4 | ||||
| 26 | 13 April 2018 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup | 1-1 |  Amman International Stadium, Amman | |||
| 27 | 20 April 2018 | 1–0 | |||||
| 28 | 2 August 2018 | 2–0 | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | ||||
| 29 | 14 July 2021 | Friendly | 1–0 | Sanga Stadium by Kyocera, Kameoka |
| Men's Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 32 | 39 | –7 | |
| Japan | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 39 | 32 | +7 |
| Women's Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 37 | 43 | -6 | |
| Japan | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 43 | 37 | +6 |
Players in bold are still available for selection.
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 3 | |
| 6 | 2 | |
| Ray Baartz | ||
| Takashi Hirano | ||
| Hidetoshi Nakata | ||
| Kaoru Mitoma | ||
| Takuya Takagi | ||
| Yuya Osako | ||