The Japanese national soccer team has organized a send-off ceremony on home soil before embarking on the long road to the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup. The opponent will be Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand.

On Jan. 19, the Japan Football Association (JFA) announced that it will host Thailand in an A-match friendly at Tokyo’s National Stadium on Jan. 1 next year. The match will be held as a kickoff to the Asian Cup, which will kick off in Qatar. It will be Japan’s final full-scale test match before the tournament. The AFC recently informed Asian Cup qualifiers that they will not be able to play any exhibition matches until five days before the tournament kicks off.

In addition, the final of the All Japan Football Championship (Kawasaki Frontare vs. Kashiwa Reysol), which is usually held on January 1, will be played on December 9 this year. 토토사이트

It is believed that Japan planned this match with the intention to have the support of their home fans behind them for the last time as they try to regain the Asian Cup title after 12 years. In addition, the team is scheduled to face a series of Southeast Asian opponents in the group stage, including Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia national soccer team and Vietnam. Therefore, the plan was to invite Thailand, which is considered the top power in the Southeast Asian region, for a power quenching.

However, since the match is not during the official A-match period, there will be a number of key players who will not be able to join the national team. In particular, Mitoma Kaoru (Brighton) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), who play in the English Premier League, will not be able to join the team due to their clubs’ Boxing Day schedules.