Japanese media are hotly discussing Japan s men s football team s first victory over Brazil in history: laying the foundation for preparations for next year s World Cup

[Global Times Special Correspondent Li Jiayin Zhuangyu] According to the Japanese media "Nikkan Sports" reported on the 15th, after winning the historic first victory against Brazil, the Japanese team's overseas club players set off to return to their respective clubs. "Among them, the player who contributed two assists on the field Ito Jun also smiled at the airport. "The night before, in the 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup match between the Japanese team and the Brazilian team, the Japanese team finally won the game 3:2 after conceding two goals first, becoming the first Asian team to defeat Brazil in this century. Japanese public opinion has paid active attention to this. When reporting on the 15th, Japan's mainstream media invariably emphasized that "this is the first time the Japanese team has defeated the Brazilian team."

On October 14, 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup, Japan 3-2 Brazil. (Visual China)

The Japanese men’s football team is ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings and is the first team in the world to lock in tickets for the 2026 World Cup through the qualifiers. However, it has failed to win in three consecutive friendly matches recently. Brazil is ranked 6th in the world and has won the World Cup five times before. Regarding the Japanese men's football team's first victory over Brazil, many Japanese netizens left messages on the social platform Japanese website "SoccerKing" analyzed on the 15th that the Japanese team, which was too conservative in the first half, showed a different competitive state as if they were reborn after midfield adjustments. The team's formation boldly pressed forward and gained offensive opportunities through pressing. According to statistics from the data website Opta, although the Japanese team's ball possession rate is only 33%, which is far lower than the Brazilian team's 67%, it has 15 more shots than the Brazilian team, which is 7 times.

Japan's NHK TV station said on the 15th that although the Brazilian team did not send all its main players, this was still a valuable first victory for Japanese football. The "Sports Japan" website believes that the Japanese team's victory over Brazil "laid the foundation for preparations for next year's World Cup." "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" commented that the Japanese team has turned its attention to the larger goal of "defeating Brazil and the world's top teams in official matches." This high-level goal is the driving force for the development of Japanese football.