Japan Football Association (JFA) signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FC Bayern München (FCB) on 18 November 2025. JFA and FCB have cooperated at various levels since the MoU was first signed on 28 April 2018 and hope to further expand their partnership going forward.

The MoU between FCB and JFA aims to facilitate cooperation in the following areas:
・Establishing a trustworthy, mutually beneficial relationship between the JFA Youth Program / Academy, the FC Bayern Women’s department and the Youth Academy of FC Bayern Campus;
・Creating a pathway for JFA youth national team players;
・Support of FCB’s initiatives in Japan by JFA; and
・Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship in coach education.

Comments

Jan-Christian DREESEN, FC Bayern München CEO:
FC Bayern München and the Japan Football Association share a special partnership characterized by deep mutual respect. With the extension of the contract, this relationship will proudly last ten years—a clear sign of continuity, reliability, and appreciation. Since the beginning of our cooperation, we have been able to implement numerous innovative projects together and learn from each other. Together, we want to continue fostering talent, deepen our exchange, and thus contribute to further developing football at the international level. We are very much looking forward to the next chapters of this partnership and thank the Japan Football Association for its trust.

Jochen SAUER, FC Bayern München Youth Development Director:
We are very pleased about the continuation of the cooperation with the Japan Football Association. Japan is a football nation with great potential, high professionalism, and enormous passion for the sport. The regular exchange generates valuable impulses for both sides, especially in the area of youth development.

MIYAMOTO Tsuneyasu, JFA President:
We are very delighted to have renewed our partnership with FC Bayern München. Since first establishing our partnership in 2018, we have built a fruitful cooperative relationship across various areas, including youth development, and coach education.. In particular, the study abroad programmes and technical exchanges for young players have significantly contributed to enhancing our development environment.
This renewed partnership builds upon our past achievements and aims to deepen our collaboration with a forward-looking perspective. While players ITO Hiroki and TANIKAWA Momoko currently play for the respective Men's and Women's top teams, cooperation with a world-class club like FC Bayern München is essential as we strive to elevate Japanese football on a global scale. Moving forward, we aim to leverage both parties' strengths to nurture the next generation and enhance international competitiveness.

YAMAMOTO Masakuni, Technical Director, JFA Technical Committee:
The renewal of our partnership with FC Bayern München holds significant importance for the JFA Technical Committee. Through our previous collaboration, we have achieved meaningful outcomes in technical aspects, including coach exchanges and youth development.
In particular, the opportunity for youth players to train in an elite environment of FC Bayern München has become an invaluable experience for the growth of promising young players who will shape Japan’s future.
This renewed partnership marks a new chapter in our technical cooperation, and we are committed to further strengthening our relationship to contribute to enhancing the competitive level of football in our country.