Australia–Japan football rivalry
The Australia–Japan football rivalry is a sports rivalry that exists between the national association football teams of each country, regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries. The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from a number of highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. The two teams have played each other in several significant matches, including a World Cup group stage match and the 2011 Asian Cup Final.
2011 Japan national football team
The Japan national football team in 2011, managed by head coach Alberto Zaccheroni, began by competing and winning the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. The win meant Japan were crowned the Champions of Asia for a record 4th time and earned a berth in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The team would continue by competing in the 2011 Kirin Cup and the 2011 Copa América in amongst other international friendly matches before closing out 2011 by commencing in the third round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification as they progress towards the 2014 FIFA World Cup.