The Japan–United States women's football rivalry is a sports rivalry between the national women's football teams of Japan and the United States, two of the most successful women's football nations in the world. However, the United States has dominated Japan since 1986, having won 31 of the 40 matches. The U.S. maintained a 13-match winning streak from 1986 through 2000. Japan upsets the U.S. 1–0, their first ever win in regulation for Japan, and subsequently the Algarve Cup final against Germany, but finished as the runners-up after a 4–3 loss.

Japan and the United States have played against each other four times in the Women's World Cup. Most notably, the 2011 World Cup final in which Japan won 3–1 on penalties, after a 2–2 draw in extra time, and the 2015 World Cup final, winning 5–2 by the U.S., as well as the gold medal game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning 2–1 also by the U.S., the quarterfinals of the 1995 World Cup, and the final group stage match of the 1991 World Cup. Overall, the U.S. has won four World Cups in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019, while Japan has won one World Cup in 2011.

The last meeting was on 14 April 2026 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington in the second match of the Women's International Friendlies.

History Early encounters The first meeting of the teams occurred on 25 July 1986 at the Mundialito in Jesolo, Italy. The United States secured a 3–1 win, with one goal from April Heinrichs and a double from substitute Marcia McDermott. Futaba Kioka scored for Japan.Japan Football Association At the Women's World Invitational Tournament (known as the Chunghua Cup), staged by Taiwan in December 1987, the United States beat Japan 1–0 with a goal scored by the defender Lori Henry.Other sources including RSSSF say that the United States was represented by a regional select team from the El Camino Women's Soccer League at this tournament.

The United States defeated Japan 5–2 at the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in Panyu on 1 June 1988, as Carin Jennings-Gabarra scored a hat-trick. American coach Anson Dorrance characterized the Japan of that era as: "a team that was equally inexperienced like we were but lacking our athleticism and size".

After comfortable wins over Japan at both the 1991 and 1995 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, 3–0 and 4–0 respectively, the United States embarked on a three-match tour of Japan in May 1998. Coach Tony DiCicco described Japan as "one of our major Asian challengers" and "one of the most improved teams since the 1991 World Cup". The United States won all three games and when Japan attended Charlotte, North Carolina for another friendly in April 1999 DiCicco's team inflicted a record-equalling 9–0 defeat.

Japan avoided defeat by the United States for the first time on the occasion of their 14th meeting, a 1–1 friendly match at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona on 17 December 2000. The game was arranged as a farewell fixture for the retiring Carla Overbeck. A fatigued United States team, playing in a record 41st match of the year, dominated but conceded an equalizer to Homare Sawa after Brandi Chastain's opener.

The next two friendly fixtures were also drawn as Japan began a gradual transition of "going from pushover to potent rival".

Respectful rivalry The formerly one-sided rivalry became closer in the period following Japan's upset penalty shoot-out win in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup final. Even while contesting three major tournament finals in four years, the teams' rivalry remained conspicuously respectful. In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 final, Carli Lloyd graciously congratulated the winners. While Aya Miyama delayed her participation in the celebrations to hug her defeated opponents.

Japan's 2011 captain Homare Sawa was particularly well disposed towards the United States as she had enjoyed several years living and playing professional football there. Sawa reflected the culture of the Japanese team, which has been described as "polite restraint" and contrasted with the more forthright culture of the American team. She had formed an enduring friendship with American centre-forward Abby Wambach when the two played together at Washington Freedom.

In March 2012 Japan secured their first ever win (within regulation time) against the United States, in Faro, Portugal at the 2012 Algarve Cup. Megumi Takase's headed 84th-minute goal secured a 1–0 victory and Japan's progression to the final. In April 2012 the United States travelled to play a friendly match in Japan, where they visited the area affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and left gifts for local schoolchildren. Although the match was drawn, American players including Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly conceded that the Japanese players had superior technique while the Americans relied on fitness and aggression.

List of matches # Date Venue Competition Result 1 25 July 1986 Jesolo 1986 Mundialito 2 12 December 1987 Taipei City 1987 Chunghua Cup 1–0 3 1 June 1988 Panyu 1988 International Women's Football Tournament 5–2 4 21 November 1991 Foshan 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup 0–3 5 10 July 1993 Hamilton Friendly 7–0 6 13 June 1995 Gävle 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup 4–0 7 16 May 1996 Horsham 1996 U.S. Cup 4–0 8 17 May 1998 Tokyo Friendly 1–2 9 21 May 1998 Kobe 0–2 10 24 May 1998 Tokyo 0–3 11 29 April 1999 Charlotte 9–0 12 2 May 1999 Atlanta 7–0 13 7 June 2000 Newcastle 4–1 14 17 December 2000 Phoenix 1–1 15 12 January 2003 San Diego 0–0 16 6 June 2004 Louisville 1–1 17 20 August 2004 Thessaloniki 2004 Summer Olympics 2–1 18 7 May 2006 Kumamoto Friendly 1–3 19 9 May 2006 Osaka 0–1 20 28 July 2007 San Jose 4–1 21 9 August 2008 Qinhuangdao 2008 Summer Olympics 1–0 22 18 August 2008 Beijing 4–2 23 2 March 2011 Vila Real de Santo António 2011 Algarve Cup 2–1 24 14 May 2011 Columbus Friendly 2–0 25 18 May 2011 Cary 2–0 26 17 July 2011 Frankfurt 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup 2–2 27 5 March 2012 Faro 2012 Algarve Cup 1–0 28 1 April 2012 Sendai Friendly 1–1 29 18 June 2012 Halmstad 4–1 30 9 August 2012 London 2012 Summer Olympics 2–1 31 5 March 2014 Parchal 2014 Algarve Cup 1–1 32 5 July 2015 Vancouver 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup 5–2 33 2 June 2016 Commerce City Friendly 3–3 34 5 June 2016 Cleveland 2–0 35 3 August 2017 Carson 2017 Tournament of Nations 3–0 36 26 July 2018 Kansas City, Kansas 2018 Tournament of Nations 4–2 37 27 February 2019 Chester 2019 SheBelieves Cup 2–2 38 11 March 2020 Frisco 2020 SheBelieves Cup 3–1 39 19 February 2023 Nashville 2023 SheBelieves Cup 1–0 40 3 August 2024 Paris 2024 Summer Olympics 1–0 41 26 February 2025 San Diego 2025 SheBelieves Cup 1–2 4211 April 2026 San JoseFriendly 2–14314 April 2026 Seattle 0–1

Major tournaments 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup

1995 FIFA Women's World Cup

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

2012 Summer Olympics

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

2024 Summer Olympics

Statistics Matches Wins Draws Goals USA Japan USA Japan FIFA Women's World Cup 4 3 0 1 14 4 Olympic Games 5 4 0 0 10 4 All major tournaments 8 7 0 1 23 8 Friendly 21 15 1 5 60 13 Algarve Cup 4 1 1 1 4 3 Tournament of Nations 2 2 0 0 7 2 International Women's Football Tournament 1 1 0 0 5 2 U.S. Cup 1 1 0 0 4 0 Mundialito 1 1 0 0 3 1 Chunghua Cup 1 1 0 0 1 0 SheBelieves Cup 3 1 1 1 6 5 Total 43 32 3 8 114 34

Matches held in Japan 6 Matches held in neutral venue 18 Matches held in the United States 19 Total matches 43

See also Canada–United States sports rivalries#Soccer Japan–South Korea football rivalry Japan–United States relations Mexico–United States soccer rivalry#Women's football United States women's national soccer team results

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