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.
2017 Japan national football team
The Japan national football team in 2017, managed by head coach Vahid Halilhodžić compete in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round and 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship among international friendly matches both at home and abroad.