6 October

The U-19 Japan National Team held a domestic training camp in preparation for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship in Bahrain. The team, who played a penultimate practice game prior to the tournament against Jubilo Iwata in Japan the day before, held a recovery session in the swimming pool for 40 minutes in the morning to wrap up the training in Shizuoka. 

In the afternoon, the players flew to Dubai in the UAE, where they will hold the final practice camp prior to the start of the tournament in Bahrain. Prior to departure, the team watched the final qualifying match between SAMURAI BLUE and Iraq, where the national team fought tenciously to book a place in the World Cup at a waiting room in the airport. The players were inspired by the game, as they will also play the final qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

7 October

After a 11-hour travel from Japan, the U-19 Japan National Team, who will play the first game of the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship in Bahrain on 14 October, arrived in Dubai for the final training camp.

There is a five-hour time difference between Dubai and Japan, and the temperature is much higher even in October. The team started their training session in the late afternoon. They mainly worked on jogging and stretching in order to recover from their journey and jet lag and to acclimatise to the heat. At the end, they did some passing among the players and the staff to finish their first day in Dubai.

Players' Comments

MF #11 NAGANUMA Yoichi (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
We had a good training camp in Japan before staring another in the UAE today. Although we’ve got only a short period of time before the final qualifiers, the team and their members need to make good preparation and get ready to compete for the first game. It’s really hot here compared to Japan, but I’d like to get used to this environment as soon as possible. Whenever I’m on the pitch in this championship, I’ll play my best in order to contribute to the team’s victory.

GK #12 HIROSUE Riku (Aomori Yamada High School)
On the first day in the UAE, we did some light exercises, recovering from our journey and acclimatising to the heat. I believe we stayed mentally relaxed and got ourselves in good condition. We’ll continue training sessions tomorrow and play a practice game against a local UAE team on 10 October. So I’d like to prepare myself well, while improving the team as a whole, so that we can work together to get through the qualifying round.

FW #13 KISHIMOTO Takeru (Cerezo Osaka)
There is a good atmosphere around the team prior to the final qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. We are communicating well on and off the pitch and working together to make the best possible preparation as a team. After long travels, I felt tired during today’s session. However, I’d like to get used to this climate from tomorrow and showcase my strength in practice. I’m determined to win the title, so that we will book a place in the World Cup.

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Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.
*The Championship's top four ranked teams will then fly the Asian flag at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017. If Korea Republic, the hosting country of 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, advances to the semifinals, the playoff matches will be held deciding the fifth place among the four losing teams in the quarterfinals.