SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) defeated New Zealand National Team 2-1 in the final of the KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2026 at National Stadium in Tokyo on Monday 5 October, with goals from UEDA Ayase (LOSC Lille) and DOAN Ritsu (Eintracht Frankfurt) securing the title.

After starting with a back three in each of their previous three matches, including the victory over Ecuador four days earlier, Japan switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the final.

NAKANO Shuto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), SEKO Ayumu (Le Havre AC), ITO Hiroki (FC Bayern Munich) and SUZUKI Junnosuke (FC Copenhagen) formed the back four from right to left, with SANO Kaishu (1.FSV Mainz 05) and KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace FC) in central midfield. Ueda led the line, supported by Doan on the right, KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad) through the middle and MAEDA Daizen (Ipswich Town FC) on the left.

New Zealand, meanwhile, switched from the back four they had used against Panama on 1 October to a back three. Their attacking approach remained familiar, with Chris WOOD providing the focal point for long balls forward and Eli JUST looking to link up with him.

Japan kept that threat in check early on and quickly settled into their attacking rhythm. Inside the opening minute, Sano picked up a long ball intended for Wood and Japan moved the ball quickly through Maeda and Kubo before Doan fired from distance.

The hosts continued to take the game to New Zealand. Both full-backs pushed forward to support the attack, while the front four combined well to create a succession of chances. Doan and Maeda both threatened from open play, and Seko also went close from a set-piece as Japan kept their opponents under pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 28th minute. Kubo drove deep into the right side of the penalty area and laid the ball off to the overlapping Nakano, whose cross deflected off a defender in front of goal. Ueda was quickest to react to the loose ball and swept a left-footed finish into the net.

Japan were firmly on top, but New Zealand took advantage of a rare opening just four minutes later. Wood intercepted a loose pass and drove forward before finding Ben OLD breaking down the left. Old finished the counter-attack to bring the visitors level.

Japan responded by continuing to push forward. Nakano went close with a left-footed effort shortly before half-time, while Ueda ran onto a lofted pass from Kubo but was unable to finish. The striker threatened again early in the second half, meeting a cross from Suzuki Junnosuke with a header, but the score remained level.

Looking to add fresh impetus to the attack, MORIYASU Hajime introduced ITO Junya (KRC Genk), NAKAMURA Keito (Olympique Lyonnais) and TANAKA Ao (Leeds United FC) in the 64th minute, with Ito slotting in at right-back.

The changes soon paid off. In the 71st minute, Nakamura drove towards the byline on the left and played the ball across the face of goal. Doan arrived from the opposite side and met it with his right foot to restore Japan's lead. It was his first goal for the national team since scoring against Ghana in November last year.

Japan nearly added a third four minutes later when Ueda found the net from Nakamura's pass, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

ARAKI Hayato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), SANO Kodai (PSV Eindhoven) and SHIOGAI Kento (VfL Wolfsburg) came on in the 78th minute, followed by TANAKA Satoshi (FC Schalke 04) and MATSUKI Kuryu (Southampton FC) in the 87th. Japan continued to play positively until the final whistle, finishing with 20 shots while restricting New Zealand to just three as they closed out a 2-1 victory and lifted the KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2026 trophy.

The result completed a run of four wins from Japan's four matches in September and October, including the penalty shootout victory over Ecuador. SAMURAI BLUE will next travel to Singapore in November to face Brazil and Paraguay.

Earlier in the day at the same venue, Panama defeated Ecuador to finish third. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes before Panama prevailed 7-6 in a penalty shootout.

Additional call-up Josue VERGARA gave Panama the lead in the 38th minute. Ecuador responded by making a number of changes after the break, and one of their substitutes, Juan Riquelme ANGULO, equalised in the 58th minute.

Neither side could find a winner, sending the match to penalties. Both teams went through eight takers, with Panama missing their third attempt but converting their other seven. Ecuador also missed their second before Panama goalkeeper Eddie ROBERTS saved their eighth attempt to seal the victory.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
It has been a demanding period with four matches in this series, but the players kept taking on board what we wanted to do tactically, both in training and from one game to the next, and carried that through to today's KIRIN CUP final. I'm grateful for the work they put in every day. It was tough on them both physically and mentally, and I also want to thank the staff for supporting them and helping us get through the entire camp together.

Tactically, we asked the players to do something different from the previous three matches, and I thought they responded very well. New Zealand had prepared for us to play with a back three, so the way the two teams set up created some difficult match-ups for us. We conceded once, but we didn't let that disrupt our rhythm. We stayed patient, kept doing what we were trying to do and continued to create chances. The players were aggressive and resilient from the start and kept going right through to the end. It wasn't only about the players who started, either. Once again, the whole squad played its part in seeing the game through and getting the win.

We've used a back four for long periods in the past, particularly during my first and second spells with the team, although we've played with a back three more recently. With the matches against Brazil and Paraguay in Singapore in November and then the Asian Cup ahead of us, we wanted to broaden our tactical options. It's not only about being able to change shape during a match. We also want to be able to choose a system from the start that we believe will give us an advantage against a particular opponent.

It's not easy to make that kind of tactical change and put it into practice on the pitch after only a day or two. The coaching staff did an excellent job of giving the players a clear picture of what we wanted through our meetings and training sessions, and that allowed us to go into today's game with a shared understanding. I have a lot of respect for the work they did.

We knew that how we dealt with Wood would have a major influence on the game. I told the players that we couldn't allow him to dominate in the air or play freely, and that it would also be important to win the second balls after those duels. We also expected New Zealand to play more direct towards the end, and I thought the players dealt with that very well.

We have two more matches before the Asian Cup. We want to win both of them, build even greater belief in what we can do and take that confidence and courage into what comes next. We want to go into those two matches determined to get the results.

More than 60,000 supporters came to National Stadium today, and seeing the stands before the match actually brought tears to my eyes. Their support helped the players stay together and keep fighting through a difficult game right until the end. I want to thank everyone who was there. I hope they could see how hard every player worked and how determined this team was to fight together until the final whistle.

DF #3 SEKO Ayumu (Le Havre AC/France)
Playing in every match during this series has helped me grow, so that's been a really positive experience for me. With us playing a back four today and looking to press aggressively from the front, there were quite a few situations where we were left one-on-one at the back. I thought we dealt with those situations well and, importantly, stayed focused for the full 90 minutes. There were still a few occasions when they were able to hold the ball up against us, and that's something I personally need to improve. For the goal we conceded, there were things I should have done better. I hadn't realised that Nakano hadn't got back into position. If I'd recognised that and done a better job of cutting off the passing lane, I think we could have prevented the chance. That's one moment I really regret.

DF #21 ITO Hiroki (FC Bayern Munich/Germany)
We expected to spend a lot of time pushing them back, but we also knew they had a strong presence up front, so we were conscious of dealing with that threat. They did manage to hold the ball up a few times and counter from there, but it was something we were prepared for. The most important thing was to win. At the same time, there were plenty of positives in our performances over these four matches, as well as some areas we know we still need to work on. Overall, I think it was a very worthwhile series for us.

DF #25 SUZUKI Junnosuke (FC Copenhagen/Denmark)
It wasn't a position I'm particularly used to, so I'm glad we were able to win. Personally, though, I don't feel I was able to contribute enough, and that's frustrating. We struggled to create much down the left and didn't develop the same kind of combinations we had on the right, so that's something I need to reflect on. They were also very compact, which made it difficult to find space. For the second goal, I saw Nakamura and headed the ball on to him. I'm glad the move ended up leading to the goal.

MF/FW #2 NAKANO Shuto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
There were things that gave me confidence and plenty of areas where I realised I still need to improve, so these two weeks have been a really positive experience for me. I want to keep improving so I can earn the chance to come back and play at this level again. The cross that led to the first goal is the kind of play I see as one of my strengths. Getting forward into those areas and delivering crosses or taking shots is something I wanted to show even more. I need to keep doing that without holding back, even at this level, because those plays can lead directly to goals. Doan and I had talked a lot, so he understood my strengths and the kind of runs I like to make. We'd discussed things like when I could overlap him. It didn't lead directly to a goal between the two of us today, but I'd like to create more of those situations in the future.

MF/FW #10 DOAN Ritsu (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany)
I'd been feeling that I needed to score. I always say that one of my strengths is looking for goals, so it had been frustrating not to get one. At the same time, I've been trying to do everything I can within what the team is asking of me while still making the most of my own strengths. I was used as a winger today, so I tried to understand what was expected of me in that role, and I think I was able to do the job I was asked to do. More importantly, we've now won four matches in a row against opponents who were far from easy to beat. I think that showed how good this Japan team has become at finding ways to win. For the goal, it was the kind of position I could get into because I was playing as a winger. I have Nakamura to thank for the assist.

MF/FW #13 NAKAMURA Keito (Olympique Lyonnais/France)
For the assist, when I carried the ball forward I saw there was a lot of space ahead of me, so I thought I could use one of my usual feints to get past the defender and drive inside. It reminded me a little of a similar situation against Australia in the final round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Once I got into that position, I knew playing the ball across goal would give us the best chance of scoring, and I could see Doan there. Ito and I both came on today, and it reminded me again just how much he can change a game. He came off the bench in all four matches during this series, changed the momentum every time and helped us get results. We played together at Reims, but there's still so much I can learn from him.

MF/FW #15 KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace FC/England)
We tried playing with a back four today, and considering it had been quite a long time since we'd started a match that way, I thought it worked reasonably well. We conceded, but defensively there weren't too many problems overall. There's still plenty we can improve in attack, but for our first time playing this way in a while, there were a lot of positives. Most importantly, we won the game. It's very difficult in modern football to break down a team that sits deep and stays compact, and we found that difficult at times today. At the Asian Cup, though, we're likely to face this kind of game quite often. We need to improve our attacking play so that we can pose more of a threat against teams that defend that way.

MF/FW #18 UEDA Ayase (LOSC Lille/France)
They were very disciplined in the way they defended, and we didn't put in that many crosses in the first half. As a striker, I would have liked a few more balls into the box, but I was also trying different ways of timing my runs. I was pleased that I was able to react to the loose ball and score. Defensively, I thought we dealt very well with a team that looked to play long. Our back line handled those balls well and we got through the 90 minutes without giving them many real chances. We were able to repeatedly force them to go long and then win the ball back. There are always details we can improve, but overall I think there were far more positives than negatives.

MF/FW #20 KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad/Spain)
I think they probably expected us to play with a back three and changed their formation with that in mind. Then we started with a back four, so there was a bit of a tactical back-and-forth as both teams adjusted. They packed the middle of the pitch, which made things difficult for us at times, but I still thought we were able to do a lot of what we wanted in the first half. The goal we conceded came from an unfortunate situation rather than them really playing through us. We also did a good job of winning the ball back after losing possession on a number of occasions, so I don't think there was too much to be concerned about. There were plenty of positives for us to take from the game.

MF/FW #24 SANO Kaishu (1.FSV Mainz 05/Germany)
Kamada tended to take up slightly higher positions, so I was conscious of holding my position and playing almost as the single defensive midfielder. He's very good in tight spaces, and when he was able to beat a player in those areas, it opened things up for us. At the same time, I think we could have managed the risk a little better in case we lost the ball. We've spent a lot of time playing with a back three recently, but we've used a back four before and had also worked on it in training. It's important for us to keep adding different options so that we have more ways to play.

Darren BAZELEY, Head Coach of New Zealand National Team
I thought we played a good game. We changed our shape to try to deal with Japan's strengths, stayed compact and defended well as a unit. For long periods, I thought we frustrated Japan and made things difficult for them. We were also a threat on the counter-attack and managed to score from one of those situations. The players worked extremely hard and kept fighting right until the end. We're still a team that's developing, though, and it's difficult for us to perform at our best in every phase of the game for the full 90 minutes. To be level with 20 minutes remaining in a cup final and then not come away with the win is extremely disappointing.

Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs New Zealand National Team
Date: Mon. 5 October, 19:30
Venue: Japan National Stadium, Tokyo
Match information