Japan's Asian Games Football Coach Confident, Eyes Home Advantage

Go Oiwa, the coach of Japan's Asian Games national football team, is confident about the team's prospects, highlighting the significant advantage of playing on home soil in the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The draw for the men's football tournament took place in Nagoya on July 23, placing Japan in Group A. Their campaign is set to commence on August 16 against Hong Kong, followed by matches against Kyrgyzstan on August 20 and Thailand on August 23. Oiwa stated that the team is preparing to grow and make strides during the tournament hosted in Japan. Group B will feature a competitive lineup of China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and North Korea, while Group C includes Vietnam and Uzbekistan, among others. The coach's focus is on leveraging the home crowd and familiar conditions to achieve success, aiming for Japan's second Asian Games football title since 2010.