Japan vs Iceland - prediction, team news, lineups

With their World Cup opener against the Netherlands conscionable weeks away, Japan look Iceland connected Sunday astatine the caller Japan National Stadium successful Tokyo successful what amounts to a last formal rehearsal earlier the planetary tourney begins, arsenic portion of the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026.

Hajime Moriyasu’s broadside get successful formidable shape, portion Iceland, absent from this summer’s World Cup, volition beryllium looking to usage the juncture to rebuild assurance up of a affable against Argentina adjacent month.

Match preview

Japan person been successful exceptional signifier heading into this summer’s World Cup, having mislaid conscionable erstwhile successful 11 matches since their qualification run ended - a tally made up of 8 wins and 2 draws, including victories successful each of their past 5 friendlies.

Moriyasu’s broadside breezed done a ten-match qualification campaign, winning seven, drafting 2 and losing once, conceding lone 3 goals crossed the full process - a antiaircraft grounds that underlines the organisation and subject that has go the hallmark of this Japan team.

Among those caller affable victories were wins implicit Brazil and England, 2 of the world’s top-six ranked nations, and back-to-back distant cleanable sheets against England and Scotland earlier this outpouring further demonstrated that Japan are not simply a squad that performs good successful Asia - they tin grip elite opposition.

Currently ranked 18th successful the satellite and drawn successful Group F alongside the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden, Japan caput into this fixture with assurance moving done the squad, and Moriyasu is expected to usage Sunday’s crippled to sharpen the combinations and patterns of play helium intends to deploy erstwhile they look the Netherlands connected June 14.

Iceland, by contrast, get with nary World Cup to look guardant to this summertime aft finishing 3rd successful their qualifying radical down France and Ukraine, winning conscionable doubly successful six matches.

Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s broadside person besides suffered Nations League relegation successful caller times, and the Iceland manager volition beryllium alert that determination is plentifulness of enactment to bash if the Warriors are to reverse their fortunes successful the longer term.

The visitors travel into Sunday’s crippled connected the backmost of 2 consecutive draws and a decision crossed their past 3 outings, and they are yet to triumph a crippled successful their past 4 matches successful each competitions - their latest a 1-1 gully with Haiti successful March.

With nary large tourney connected the skyline until the Nations League, Iceland volition astatine slightest person the imaginable of a affable against reigning satellite champions Argentina successful Alabama adjacent period to motivate their players, but first, they indispensable negociate a hard travel to Tokyo against a Japan broadside that has momentum firmly down them.

Japan International Friendlies form:

Iceland International Friendlies form:

Iceland signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Japan person called up 26 players for some the World Cup and the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026, with Moriyasu naming a beardown squad for Sunday’s send-off fixture.

The astir notable absentee is Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, whose wounded represents a important stroke fixed his value to Japan’s attacking play, portion Junya Ito is besides unavailable for this lucifer owed to nine commitments with Genk.

Captain Wataru Endo is expected to pb the broadside from midfield, with Takefusa Kubo and Takumi Minamino some acceptable to diagnostic arsenic Japan look to replicate the combinations that person served them truthful good successful caller months.

Gunnlaugsson has named a 32-man squad for Iceland’s 2 upcoming fixtures, with 4 goalkeepers included - among them Brentford’s Hakon Valdimarsson, who has 21 caps to his name.

Sverrir Ingi Ingason has been called up but is considered a uncertainty for Sunday, portion 17-year-old Viktor Dagason and Stockport County guardant Benony Breki Andresson are among the younger faces included successful the group.

Veteran midfielder Aron Gunnarsson, who has earned 108 caps and is closing successful connected Birkir Bjarnason’s all-time Iceland grounds of 113, has besides been named successful the squad, alongside playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has 85 caps to his name.

Japan imaginable starting lineup:

Suzuki; Seko, Watanabe, Ito; Sugawara, Kamada, Tanaka, Maeda; Suzuki, Sano; Goto

Iceland imaginable starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Palsson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Tomasson; Haraldsson, Johannesson, Gudmundsson; Willumsson, Gudjonsen, Thorsteinsson

We say: Japan 3-0 Iceland

Japan person kept cleanable sheets successful each of their past 2 matches against top-level absorption and transportation an strength successful their pressing and wing-play that Iceland’s debased artifact volition conflict to incorporate crossed 90 minutes.

Iceland person not won their past 4 outings and get successful Tokyo without the momentum oregon the unit to occupation a Japan broadside that is peaking astatine precisely the close clip up of their World Cup opener against the Netherlands.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.