It wasn’t long ago. On June 29, Japan was eliminated from the football World Cup’s round of 32 after conceding a late goal to Brazil. Four months on, Japan gets a chance at revenge.
Singapore, Brazil, Japan and Paraguay will take part in an international tournament in November. Called the “Mizuho Blue Challenge,” the tournament is hosted by Singapore. Brazil and Japan will meet on Nov. 14. Brazil will get a two-day break before its second match. Host Singapore will play Brazil on Nov. 17.
The four-nation Mizuho Blue Challenge will effectively conclude on Nov. 17. The tournament begins, however, on Nov. 13 with a Singapore-Malaysia match. Japan is taking part as preparation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia next January and February.
After the schedule was announced, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said: “I’m pleased to have the chance to play against strong South American teams. We want to take another step forward from where we are now. We’ll make meaningful use of this opportunity to deliver our best performance at next year’s Asian Cup.”
Japan trails badly in its head-to-head history against Brazil. The two sides have met 15 times. Japan has won just once — a 3-2 win over Brazil last October. Brazil has won the other 12 meetings, with two draws.
Despite winning the World Cup five times, Brazil is not in good form. Since its 2002 World Cup title, the Selecao have been eliminated in the knockout rounds by European teams every time. At the most recent 2026 World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the round of 16, losing 2-1 to Norway.