China–Japan football rivalry

The ChinaJapan football rivalry is a competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans. Historical tensions had stemmed this rivalry into one of the most heated rivalries in Asia and the world.[1]

China–Japan football rivalry
LocationAsia (AFC)
East Asia (EAFF)
Teams China
 Japan
First meeting9 May 1917
Far East Asian Games
Japan 0–5 China
Latest meeting19 November 2024
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
China 1–3 Japan
Statistics
Meetings total43
Most winsJapan (19)
All-time seriesChina: 15
Draw: 9
Japan: 19
Largest victoryJapan 7–0 China
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
(5 September 2024)
China–Japan football rivalry is located in Asia
China
China
Japan
Japan

Men's matches

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The men's football teams of China (then called the Republic of China) and Japan first met each other in 1917 at the Far Eastern Championship Games, which Japan hosted.

Prior to the 1990s, China were one of Asia's dominant men's football teams while football in Japan was still limited to amateur levels, partly due to little interest in development for the sport. Thus, Japan suffered many defeats to China. But with the rapid rise of the Japanese men's national team since the 1990s, the tide has turned. Nowadays, Japan have become far more successful than China in men's football, winning four AFC Asian Cups and have played in every FIFA World Cup since 1998, while China are runners-up in two Asian Cups (one on home soil) and qualified for just one World Cup in 2002, which Japan co-hosted along with South Korea.

# Date Venue Competition Home team Score Away team Goals (home) Goals (away)
1 9 May 1917 Shibaura Ground, Tokyo Far Eastern Championship Games Japan 0–5 China Fung Kin Wai   3', 22', ?', Kwok Po Kan   28', Tong Fuk Cheung   30'
2 1 June 1921 Shanghai Far Eastern Championship Games China 4–1 Japan
3 24 May 1923 Osaka Far Eastern Championship Games Japan 1–5 China
4 20 May 1925 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila Far Eastern Championship Games 0–2 Lee Wai Tong   -', -'
5 27 August 1927 Zhonghua Stadium, Shanghai Far Eastern Championship Games China 5–1 Japan Suen Kam Shun   19', 30', Kai Bingfen   21', -', 73' Misao Tamai   41'
6 30 May 1930 Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium, Tokyo Far Eastern Championship Games Japan 3–3 China Shiro Teshima   23', Tadao Takayama   57', Hideo Shinojima   73' Suen Kam Shun   40', Chan Kwong Yiu   60', Dai Linjing   70'
7 20 May 1934 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila Far Eastern Championship Games China 4–3 Japan Tam Kong Pak   6', 11', Lee Wai Tong   65', 76' (pen.) Akira Nozawa   60', 72', Takeshi Natori   74'
8 1 May 1966 Unknown Friendly Japan 1–2 China
9 23 June 1975 Government Stadium, Hong Kong 1976 AFC Asian Cup qualification China 2–1 Japan Li Yutie   6', Ke Wushang   20' Kozo Arai   43'
10 11 June 1980 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou Friendly 1–0 Li Xiangfu   67'
11 26 December 1980 Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification 1–0 Rong Zhihang   7'
12 2 June 1981 Omiya Football Stadium, Saitama Friendly Japan 0–0 China
13 30 September 1981 Singapore Lion City Cup Japan 2–0 China
14 31 January 1983 Kochi Nehru Cup China 5–0 Japan
15 31 May 1984 Omiya Football Stadium, Saitama Kirin Cup Japan 1–0 China Hisashi Kato   84' (pen.)
16 27 July 1986 Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur Merdeka Cup 4–2 Hisashi Kaneko   8', 55', Hiromi Hara   75', Satoshi Tezuka   76' Li Zheng   44', Wang Yong   77'
17 2 June 1988 Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya Kirin Cup Japan 0–3 China Wang Baoshan   24', Gao Sheng   41', Ma Lin   45'
18 10 May 1990 Nishigaoka Stadium, Tokyo Friendly Japan 2–2 China Tomoyuki Kajino   17', Osamu Maeda   56'   14' (o.g.), Zhang Shaowen   63'
19 13 May 1990 Okayama Stadium, Okayama Friendly Japan 2–0 China Osamu Maeda   26', Mitsunori Yoshida   40'
20 29 July 1990 Workers' Stadium, Beijing Dynasty Cup China 1–0 Japan Wu Qunli   77'
21 24 August 1992 Workers' Stadium, Beijing Dynasty Cup China 0–2 Japan Masahiro Fukuda   38', Takuya Takagi   82'
22 6 November 1992 Hiroshima Stadium, Hiroshima AFC Asian Cup Japan 3–2 China Masahiro Fukuda   48', Tsuyoshi Kitazawa   57', Masashi Nakayama   84' Xie Yuxin   1', Li Xiao   70'
23 18 May 1993 Shanghai East Asian Games China 3–2 Japan
24 23 February 1995 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong Dynasty Cup Japan 2–1 China Toshiya Fujita   16', Hisashi Kurosaki   22' Gao Feng   55'
25 12 December 1996 Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium, Al Ain AFC Asian Cup 1–0 Naoki Soma   90'
26 7 March 1998 National Stadium, Tokyo Dynasty Cup Japan 0–2 China Li Bing   9', 50'
27 15 March 2000 Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe Friendly Japan 0–0 China
28 26 October 2000 Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut AFC Asian Cup China 2–3 Japan Qi Hong   30', Yang Chen   48' Fan Zhiyi   21' (o.g.), Akinori Nishizawa   53', Tomokazu Myojin   61'
29 8 October 2002 Masan Stadium, Changwon Asian Games 0–1 Satoshi Nakayama   60'
30 4 December 2003 National Stadium, Tokyo EAFF Championship Japan 2–0 China Tatsuhiko Kubo   4', 80'
31 7 August 2004 Workers' Stadium, Beijing AFC Asian Cup China 1–3 Japan Li Ming   31' Takashi Fukunishi   22', Koji Nakata   65', Keiji Tamada   90+1'
32 3 August 2005 Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon EAFF Championship Japan 2–2 China Teruyuki Moniwa   59', Tatsuya Tanaka   87' Li Jinyu   37', Zhang Yonghai   43'
33 20 February 2008 Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing EAFF Championship China 0–1 Japan Koji Yamase   17'
34 6 February 2010 Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo EAFF Championship Japan 0–0 China
35 21 July 2013 Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul EAFF Championship 3–3 Yuzo Kurihara   32', Yoichiro Kakitani   59', Masato Kudo   60' Wang Yongpo   4' (pen.), 80' (pen.), Sun Ke   86'
36 9 August 2015 Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan EAFF Championship China 1–1 Japan Wu Lei   10' Yuki Muto   41'
37 12 December 2017 Ajinomoto Stadium, Chōfu EAFF Championship Japan 2–1 China Yu Kobayashi   84', Gen Shōji   88' Yu Dabao   90+3'
38 10 December 2019 Busan Gudeok Stadium, Busan EAFF Championship China 1–2 Japan Dong Xuesheng   90' Musashi Suzuki   29', Genta Miura   70'
39 7 September 2021 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha (Qatar)[2] 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification China 0–1 Japan Yuya Osako   40'
40 27 January 2022 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama Japan 2–0 China Yuya Osako   13' (pen.), Junya Ito   61'
41 24 July 2022 Toyota Stadium, Toyota EAFF Championship Japan 0–0 China
42 5 September 2024 Saitama Stadium, Saitama 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Japan 7–0 China Wataru Endo   12', Kaoru Mitoma   45+2', Takumi Minamino   52', 58', Junya Ito   77', Daizen Maeda   87', Takefusa Kubo   90+5'
43 19 November 2024 Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen China 1–3 Japan Lin Liangming   48' Koki Ogawa   39', 54', Ko Itakura   45+5'

Head-to-head record

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As of 19 November 2024
Competition China wins Draws Japan wins
Total 15 9 19

Women's matches

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# Date Venue Competition Home team Score Away team Goals (home) Goals (away)
1 31 August 2018 Gelora Sriwijaya, Palembang 2018 Asian Games Japan 1–0 China Yuika Sugasawa   90'
2 14 December 2019 Busan Gudeok Stadium, Busan 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship China 0–3 Japan Mana Iwabuchi   9', 44', 56'
3 4 February 2022 Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune 2022 Women's Asian Cup China 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
Japan Wu Chengshu   46', Wang Shanshan   119' Riko Ueki   26', 103'
4 26 July 2022 Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Japan 0–0 China

Head-to-head record

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As of 26 July 2022
Competition China wins Draws Japan wins
Total 0 2 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mangan, J.A.; Kim, Hyun-Duck; Cruz, Angelita; Kang, Gi-Heun (2013). "Rivalries: China, Japan and South Korea – Memory, Modernity, Politics, Geopolitics – and Sport". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 30 (10): 1130–1152. doi:10.1080/09523367.2013.800046. S2CID 154388658.
  2. ^ "Chinese national football team gears up for World Cup qualifiers". Xinhua News Agency. 19 August 2021.