Kirin Cup

The Kirin Cup (Japanese: キリンカップサッカー, Hepburn: Kirin Kappu Sakkā) (Kirin Cup Soccer) is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which national teams and clubs participated in), and was last held in its full form in 2016.

Kirin Cup

Organising body	Japan Football Association
Founded	1978
Region	International
Number of teams	4
Current champions	Venezuela (1st title)
Most successful team(s)	Japan (11 titles)

From 1992 onwards, the format was changed to a round robin national team competition. The first nation to win the competition was Argentina. Japan are the tournament's most successful team with eleven titles, followed by Peru with three titles. As of 2016, the current cup holders are Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since the start of the international competitions in 1992, the tournament has hosted a variety of teams from South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Out of the South American members of CONMEBOL who have been invited (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru), Peru have been the most successful (three titles).

Out of the European invitees, there have been seven different champions, the most successful being the Czech Republic with two titles, with Hungary, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Slovakia and Scotland winning one title each. Aside from Japan, the only other Asian country to have won the tournament are the United Arab Emirates (2005), who shared the title with Peru.

No African teams have won the tournament (only one African team has participated in just one edition).

In addition to the annual Kirin Cup there are a few Kirin Challenge Cup (Japanese: キリンチャレンジカップ、キリンチャレンジ杯, Hepburn: kirin Tyarenzi Kappu , kirin Tyarenzihai), friendlies also sponsored by the Kirin Corporation, played throughout the year in Japan. Japan took out the most recent 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup with 2–0 win over Paraguay on 5 September 2019.

Tournaments

All times are Japan standard time (UTC+9)

1978 Japan Cup

Won by Borussia Mönchengladbach and Palmeiras.

1979 Japan Cup

Won by Tottenham Hotspur.

1980 Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer

Won by Middlesbrough F.C.

1981 Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer

Won by Club Brugge KV.

1982 Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer

Won by Werder Bremen.

1983 Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer

Won by Newcastle United with Chris Waddle finishing tournament top scorer.

1984 Japan Cup Kirin World Soccer

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
China PR	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	2
Toulouse	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	2
Japan	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	2

Japan  v Toulouse

27 May 1984

Japan

0–1

Toulouse

China PR  v Toulouse

29 May 1984

China PR

3–2

Toulouse

Japan  v  China PR

31 May 1984	Japan	1–0	China PR	Omiya Stadium, Saitama, Japan
	Kato

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Internacional	2	1	1	0	3	0	+3	3
Republic of Ireland	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	2
Japan Universiade XI	2	0	1	1	0	3	−3	1

Republic of Ireland  v Japan Universiade XI

27 May 1984

Republic of Ireland

0–0

Japan Universiade XI

Internacional v Japan Universiade XI

30 May 1984

Internacional

3–0

Japan Universiade XI

Internacional v  Republic of Ireland

1 June 1984

Internacional

0–0

Republic of Ireland

Semi-finals

Internacional v Toulouse

3 June 1984

Internacional

4–1

Toulouse

Republic of Ireland  v  China PR

3 June 1984	Republic of Ireland	1–0	China PR
	O'Keefe  57'

Final

Internacional v  Republic of Ireland

5 June 1984	Internacional	2–1	Republic of Ireland	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Milton Cruz Rubén Paz		Stapleton	Attendance: 28,000

1985 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Santos	9	5	4	1	0	19	4	+15
Uruguay	8	5	3	2	0	16	6	+10
West Ham	5	5	1	3	1	13	7	+6
Yomiuri	5	5	2	1	2	9	8	+1
Japan	3	5	1	1	3	7	11	–4
Malaysian Tigers	0	5	0	0	5	3	31	–28

Japan  v  Uruguay

26 May 1985	Japan	1–4	Uruguay	National Stadium, Tokyo
	Kimura  15'		Carlos Aguilera  44', 73' da Silva  51', 69'	Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Henk van Ettekoven

Santos v West Ham

26 May 1985	Santos	2–1	West Ham	Shimizu
	Mario Sérgio  13' Zé Sérgio  34'		Goddard  57'	Attendance: 10,000

Yomiuri v Malaysian Tigers

26 May 1985

Yomiuri

5–0

Malaysian Tigers

Sendai

Japan  v West Ham

28 May 1985	Japan	2–2	West Ham	Okayama
	Hara Mizunuma		Potts Swindlehurst

Santos v Malaysian Tigers

28 May 1985	Santos	8–1	Malaysian Tigers	Okayama
	Mirandinha Lima Mario Sérgio Gersinho Humberto		Azhar Shahrin

Uruguay  v Yomiuri

28 May 1985	Uruguay	4–3	Yomiuri	Omiya
	Carlos Aguilera

Japan  v Yomiuri

30 May 1985	Japan	0–1	Yomiuri	Tokyo
			Totsuka  78'

West Ham v Malaysian Tigers

30 May 1985	West Ham	9–2	Malaysian Tigers	Tokyo
	Cottee Ravindan  (o.g.) Swindlehurst Martin Pike Whitton		Shahdan

Uruguay  v Santos

30 May 1985	Uruguay	1–1	Santos	Hiroshima
	Carlos Aguilera  21'		Davi  60'	Attendance: 15,000

Uruguay  v Malaysian Tigers

1 June 1985	Uruguay	6–0	Malaysian Tigers	Osaka
	Carrasco Pereira Alzugaray Barrios Carlos Aguilera Cabrera

Japan  v Santos

2 June 1985	Japan	1–4	Santos	Kobe
	Hara  85'		Zé Sérgio  16', 37' Gersinho  21' Mirandinha  29'

Yomiuri v West Ham

2 June 1985	Yomiuri	0–0	West Ham	Sapporo
				Attendance: 7,100 Referee: Okaya

Japan  v Malaysian Tigers

4 June 1985	Japan	3–0	Malaysian Tigers	Nagoya
	Kimura  32' Mizunuma  69' Hashiratani  89'			Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Soo-Deok Kim

West Ham v  Uruguay

4 June 1985	West Ham	1–1	Uruguay	Nagoya
	Swindlehurst  26'		Montelongo  54'

Santos v Yomiuri

4 June 1985	Santos	4–0	Yomiuri	Yokohama
	Mirandinha Davi Gersinho

Final

Santos v  Uruguay

6 June 1985	Santos	4–2	Uruguay	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Zé Sérgio  22', 89' Mirandinha  41', 50'		Carlos Aguilera  15' Carrasco  81'	Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Shizuo Takada

1986 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Palmeiras	6	3	3	0	0	10	3	+7
Werder Bremen	3	3	1	1	1	3	5	–2
Japan	2	3	1	0	2	3	5	–2
Algeria B	1	3	0	1	2	4	7	–3

Japan  v  Algeria B

11 May 1986	Japan	2–1	Algeria B	Matsuyama
	Hashiratani		Djahmoune

Palmeiras v Werder Bremen

11 May 1986	Palmeiras	4–0	Werder Bremen	Fukuoka
	Mirandinha  20', 21', 25' Jorginho Putinatti  56'

Japan  v Werder Bremen

14 May 1986	Japan	0–2	Werder Bremen	Tokyo
			Burgsmüller  10' Neubarth  27'

Palmeiras v  Algeria B

14 May 1986	Palmeiras	4–2	Algeria B	Shizuoka
	Mirandinha Mendonça Barbosa		Djahmoune Sabbah

Japan  v Palmeiras

16 May 1986	Japan	1–2	Palmeiras	Kyoto
	Kimura  51'		Denys  34' Mirandinha  71' (pen.)

Werder Bremen v  Algeria B

16 May 1986	Werder Bremen	1–1	Algeria B	Nagoya
	Meier  8'		Djahmoune  16'

Final

Werder Bremen v Palmeiras

18 May 1986	Werder Bremen	4–2 (a.e.t.)	Palmeiras	Tokyo
	Neubarth  56' Möhlmann  91' Ordenewitz  99', 101'		Jorginho Putinatti  26' Mirandinha  106' (pen.)

1987 Kirin Cup

Kirin Cup 1987.

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Torino	5	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3
Fluminense	4	3	1	2	0	8	1	+7
Japan	2	3	0	2	1	2	3	–1
Senegal	1	3	0	1	2	3	12	–9

Japan  v Fluminense

24 May 1987	Japan	0–0	Fluminense	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
				Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Joe Worrall

Torino v  Senegal

24 May 1987	Torino	3–1	Senegal	Maruyama Baseball Stadium, Sapporo, Japan
	Corradini  30' Lentini  46' Mariani  80'		Bunjai  86'	Attendance: 3,500

Torino v Fluminense

25 May 1987	Torino	1–1	Fluminense	Shizuoka Kusanagi Baseball Stadium, Shizuoka, Japan
	Junior  6'		Paulinho  47'	Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Kiichiro Tachi

Japan  v  Senegal

27 May 1987	Japan	2–2	Senegal	Prefectual Stadium, Hiroshima, Japan
	Hara  40' Matsuyama  50'		Ndao  43', 57' (pen.)

Japan  v Torino

29 May 1987	Japan	0–1	Torino	Mizuho Athletic Stadium, Nagoya, Japan
			Corradini	Attendance: 26,000

Fluminense v  Senegal

29 May 1987	Fluminense	7–0	Senegal	Kobe Central Stadium, Shizuoka, Kobe
	Assis  5' Tato  24' Eduardo  25', 34' Washington  30', 87' Romerito  67'			Referee: Yasuki Nagoya

Final

Fluminense v Torino

31 May 1987	Fluminense	2–0	Torino	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Washington  26' Tato  44'			Attendance: 36,000 Referee: Joe Worrall

1988 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Bayer Leverkusen	5	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3
Flamengo	4	3	1	2	0	5	3	+2
China PR	3	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1
Japan	0	3	0	0	3	1	7	–6

Japan  v Flamengo

29 May 1988	Japan	1–3	Flamengo	Tokyo
	Yoshida  86'		Zico  9' (pen.) Paulo César  52' Delacir

Bayer Leverkusen v  China PR

29 May 1988	Bayer Leverkusen	2–0	China PR	Takamatsu
	Götz Falkenmayer

Bayer Leverkusen v Flamengo

1 June 1988	Bayer Leverkusen	1–1	Flamengo	Kyoto
	Cha Bum-kun  24'		Edinho  36'

Japan  v  China PR

2 June 1988	Japan	0–3	China PR	Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya, Japan
			Wang Baoshan  24' Gao Sheng  41' Ma Lin  45'	Referee: Jamal Al Sharif

Japan  v Bayer Leverkusen

5 June 1988

Japan

0–1

Bayer Leverkusen

Omiya

China PR  v Flamengo

5 June 1988	China PR	1–1	Flamengo	Kagoshima
	Ma Lin  53'		Gérson  17'

Final

Flamengo v Bayer Leverkusen

7 June 1988	Flamengo	1–0	Bayer Leverkusen	Tokyo
	Zico  55'

1991 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6
Vasco	3	3	1	1	1	4	2	+2
Tottenham	3	3	1	1	1	2	5	–3
Thailand	0	3	0	0	3	1	6	–5

Japan  v  Thailand

2 June 1991	Japan	1–0	Thailand	Yamagata Park Stadium, Tendō, Japan
	Hashiratani  89' (pen.)			Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Samuel Chan Yam-Ming

Tottenham v Vasco

2 June 1991

Tottenham

0–0

Vasco

Japan  v Vasco

5 June 1991	Japan	2–1	Vasco	Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium, Kyoto, Japan
	Kitazawa  41' Miura  74'	(Report)	Bismarck  85' (pen.)	Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Samuel Chan Yam-Ming

Thailand  v Tottenham

5 June 1991	Thailand	1–2	Tottenham	Mizuho Athletic Stadium, Nagoya, Japan
	K. Viton		Hendry Matthew Edwards	Attendance: 25,000

Thailand  v Vasco

9 June 1991

Thailand

0–3

Vasco

Japan  v Tottenham

9 June 1991	Japan	4–0	Tottenham	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Kitazawa  2' Miura  8', 41' Sakakura  66'			Attendance: 45,000

1992 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Argentina	4	2	2	0	0	2	0	+2
Wales	2	2	1	0	1	1	1	0
Japan	0	2	0	0	2	0	2	–2

Japan  v  Argentina

30 May 1992	Japan	0–1	Argentina	Yoyoki National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
			Batistuta  53'	Attendance: 60,000 Referee: Kil Ki Chul

Argentina  v  Wales

3 June 1992	Argentina	1–0	Wales	Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, Gifu, Japan
	Batistuta  87'			Attendance: 31,000 Referee: Kiichiro Tachi

Japan  v  Wales

7 June 1992	Japan	0–1	Wales	Ehime Sports Complex Athletics Stadium, Matsuyama, Japan
			Bowen  40'	Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Samuel Chan Yam-Ming

1993 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Hungary	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Japan	3	2	1	0	1	3	2	+1
United States	1	2	0	1	1	1	3	–2

Japan  v  Hungary

7 March 1993	Japan	0–1	Hungary	Hakatanomori Football Stadium, Fukuoka, Japan
			Kiprich  47'	Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Majid Jay

Hungary  v  United States

10 March 1993	Hungary	0–0	United States	Mizuho Athletic Stadium, Nagoya, Japan
				Attendance: 12,500 Referee: Shinichiro Obata

Japan  v  United States

14 March 1993	Japan	3–1	United States	Yoyoki National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Miura  36', 80' Lapper  68' (o.g.)		Pérez  23'	Attendance: 48,000 Referee: Kim Gwang-Taek

1994 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
France	6	2	2	0	0	5	1	+4
Australia	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1
Japan	1	2	0	1	1	2	5	–3

Japan  v  Australia

22 May 1994	Japan	1–1	Australia	Big Arch Stadium, Hiroshima, Japan
	Asano  10'		A. Vidmar  67'	Attendance: 27,350 Referee: Piron Unprasert

Australia  v  France

26 May 1994	Australia	0–1	France	Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, Japan
			Cantona  43'	Attendance: 16,743 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  France

29 May 1994	Japan	1–4	France	Yoyoki National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Ogura  78'		Djorkaeff  15' Papin  18' Kurosaki  53' (o.g.) Ginola  55'	Attendance: 48,841 Referee: Mohamed Nazri Abdullah

1995 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	4	2	1	1	0	3	0	+3
Scotland	4	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Ecuador	0	2	0	0	2	1	5	–4

Japan  v  Scotland

21 May 1995	Japan	0 – 0	Scotland	Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima
				Attendance: 24,556 Referee: Armando Pérez Hoyos

Scotland  v  Ecuador

24 May 1995	Scotland	2 – 1	Ecuador	Toyama Athletic Recreation Park Stadium, Toyama
	Robertson  75' Crawford  83'		Hurtado  79' (pen.)	Attendance: 5,669 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  Ecuador

28 May 1995	Japan	3 – 0	Ecuador	National Stadium, Tokyo
	Nakayama  36' Miura  46' (pen.), 53' (pen.)			Attendance: 53,438 Referee: Lutz Michael Fröhlich

1996 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	2	2	0	0	4	2	+2
Mexico	1	2	0	1	1	2	3	–1
FR Yugoslavia	1	2	0	1	1	0	1	–1

Mexico  v  FR Yugoslavia

23 May 1996	Mexico	0–0	FR Yugoslavia	IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka, Japan
				Attendance: 8,604 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  FR Yugoslavia

26 May 1996	Japan	1–0	FR Yugoslavia	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Miura  62'			Attendance: 50,632 Referee: Young-Joo Kim

Japan  v  Mexico

29 May 1996	Japan	3–2	Mexico	Hakatanomori Football Stadium, Fukuoka, Japan
	Morishima  35' Miura  45' Soma  82'		del Olmo  5' Pelaez  16'	Attendance: 17,432 Referee: Nik Ahmad Yaakub

1997 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	2	2	0	0	5	3	+2
Croatia	1	2	0	1	1	4	5	–1
Turkey	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1

Japan  v  Croatia

8 June 1997	Japan	4–3	Croatia	Yoyoki National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Hirano  34' Miura  49', 53' Morishima  89'		Asanovic  77', 79' (pen.) Vlaovic  90'	Attendance: 50,136 Referee: Kim Tae-Young

Croatia  v  Turkey

12 June 1997	Croatia	1–1	Turkey	Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai, Japan
	Erceg  21'		Ertuğrul  77'	Attendance: 15,687 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  Turkey

15 June 1997	Japan	1–0	Turkey	Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan
	Morishima  25'			Attendance: 35,029 Referee: Park Jong-Kyu

1998 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Czech Republic	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Japan	2	2	0	2	0	1	1	0
Paraguay	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1

Japan  v  Paraguay

17 May 1998	Japan	1–1	Paraguay	Yoyoki National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Soma  86'		Ayala  7'	Attendance: 53,408 Referee: Kwon Jong-chul

Czech Republic  v  Paraguay

21 May 1998	Czech Republic	1–0	Paraguay	Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, Japan
	Šmicer  12'			Attendance: 6,100 Referee: Naotsugu Fuse

Japan  v  Czech Republic

24 May 1998	Japan	0–0	Czech Republic	Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan
				Attendance: 66,930 Referee: Russamee Jindamai

1999 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Peru	2	2	0	2	0	1	1	0
Belgium	2	2	0	2	0	1	1	0
Japan	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0

Peru  v  Belgium

30 May 1999	Peru	1–1	Belgium	Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium, Kyoto
	Maestri  6'		Tanghe  28'	Attendance: 9,262 Referee: Naotsugu Fuse

Japan  v  Belgium

3 June 1999	Japan	0–0	Belgium	National Stadium, Tokyo
				Attendance: 54,985 Referee: Tae-Young Kim

Japan  v  Peru

6 June 1999	Japan	0–0	Peru	Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama
				Attendance: 67,354 Referee: Panya Hanlumyaung

2000 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	4	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2
Slovakia	4	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2
Bolivia	0	2	0	0	2	0	4	–4

Japan  v  Slovakia

11 June 2000	Japan	1–1	Slovakia	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu, Japan
	Nakamura  9'		Dzúrik  7'	Attendance: 45,831 Referee: Kim Young-joo

Slovakia  v  Bolivia

14 June 2000	Slovakia	2–0	Bolivia	Tosu Stadium, Tosu, Japan
	Kratochvíl  21' Fabuš  45'			Attendance: 8,023 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  Bolivia

18 June 2000	Japan	2–0	Bolivia	Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan
	Yanagisawa  7', 34'			Attendance: 65,073 Referee: Sun Baojie

2001 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3
Paraguay	3	2	1	0	1	2	2	0
FR Yugoslavia	0	2	0	0	2	0	3	–3

Paraguay  v  FR Yugoslavia

28 June 2001	Paraguay	2–0	FR Yugoslavia	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Cáceres  39' Ferreira  83'			Attendance: 21,213 Referee: Masayoshi Okada

Japan  v  Paraguay

1 July 2001	Japan	2–0	Paraguay	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo, Japan
	Yanagisawa  16', 50'			Attendance: 39,073 Referee: Panya Hanlumyaung

Japan  v  FR Yugoslavia

4 July 2001	Japan	1–0	FR Yugoslavia	Big Eye Stadium, Ōita, Japan
	Inamoto  21'			Attendance: 38,147 Referee: Vijay Rahman

2002 Kirin Cup

Japan  v  Slovakia

29 April 2002	Japan	1–0	Slovakia	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
	Nishizawa  38'			Attendance: 55,144 Referee: Bae Jae-Young

Japan  v  Honduras

2 May 2002	Japan	3–3	Honduras	Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, Japan
	Nakamura  26', 41' Alex  76' (pen.)		Pineda  15' Pavón  27', 45'	Attendance: 38,130 Referee: Park Sang-Gu

2003 Kirin Cup

Japan  v  Argentina

8 June 2003	Japan	1–4	Argentina	Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan
	Akita  55'		Saviola  30' Zanetti  45' Romeo  78' Rodríguez  82'	Attendance: 42,508 Referee: Herbert Fandel

Japan  v  Paraguay

11 June 2003	Japan	0–0	Paraguay	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
				Attendance: 59,891 Referee: Mike Riley

2004 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	2	2	0	0	4	1	+3
Serbia and Montenegro	3	2	1	0	1	2	1	+1
Slovakia	0	2	0	0	2	1	5	–4

Japan  v  Slovakia

9 July 2004	Japan	3–1	Slovakia	Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima
	Fukunishi  45' Suzuki  66' Yanagisawa  81'		Babnič  65'	Attendance: 34,458 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Serbia and Montenegro  v  Slovakia

11 July 2004	Serbia and Montenegro	2–0	Slovakia	Hakata no Mori Stadium, Fukuoka
	Milošević  6' Jestrovic  90'			Attendance: 6,100 Referee: Toshimitsu Yoshida

Japan  v  Serbia and Montenegro

13 July 2004	Japan	1–0	Serbia and Montenegro	Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama
	Endo  48'			Attendance: 57,616 Referee: Eddie Lennie

2005 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Peru	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
United Arab Emirates	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Japan	0	2	0	0	2	0	2	–2

Japan  v  Peru

22 May 2005	Japan	0–1	Peru	Niigata Stadium, Niigata
			Vassallo  90+4'	Attendance: 39,856 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ

United Arab Emirates  v  Peru

24 May 2005	United Arab Emirates	0–0	Peru	Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Aichi
				Attendance: 6,536 Referee: Yuichi Nishimura

Japan  v  United Arab Emirates

27 May 2005	Japan	0–1	United Arab Emirates	National Stadium, Tokyo
			Alo Ali  69'	Attendance: 53,123 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ

2006 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Scotland	4	2	1	1	0	5	1	+4
Bulgaria	3	2	1	0	1	3	6	–3
Japan	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1

Japan  v  Bulgaria

9 May 2006	Japan	1–2	Bulgaria	Nagai Stadium, Osaka
	Maki  76'	(Report)	S. Todorov  1' Yanev  90+1'	Attendance: 44,851 Referee: Carlos Megia Davila

Bulgaria  v  Scotland

11 May 2006	Bulgaria	1–5	Scotland	Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe
	Y. Todorov  26'	(Report)	Boyd  13', 43' McFadden  69' Burke  77', 88'	Attendance: 5,780 Referee: Toru Kamikawa

Japan  v  Scotland

13 May 2006	Japan	0–0	Scotland	Saitama Stadium, Saitama
		(Report)		Attendance: 58,648 Referee: Eduardo Iturralde González

2007 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	4	2	1	1	0	2	0	+2
Colombia	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1
Montenegro	0	2	0	0	2	0	3	–3

Japan  v  Montenegro

1 June 2007	Japan	2–0	Montenegro	Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi
	Nakazawa  23' Takahara  38'			Attendance: 28,635 Referee: Michael Svendsen

Colombia  v  Montenegro

3 June 2007	Colombia	1–0	Montenegro	Matsumoto Stadium, Matsumoto
	Falcao  33'			Attendance: 10,070 Referee: Kenji Ogiya

Japan  v  Colombia

5 June 2007	Japan	0–0	Colombia	Saitama Stadium, Saitama
				Attendance: 45,091 Referee: Nicolai Volquartz

2008 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	4	2	1	1	0	1	0	1
Paraguay	2	2	0	2	0	1	1	0
Ivory Coast	1	2	0	1	1	1	2	–1

Ivory Coast  v  Paraguay

22 May 2008	Ivory Coast	1–1	Paraguay	Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
	Traoré  74'		Bogado  78'	Attendance: 5,197 Referee: Kazuhiko Matsumura

Japan  v  Ivory Coast

24 May 2008	Japan	1–0	Ivory Coast	Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Aichi
	Tamada  21'			Attendance: 40,710 Referee: Bruno Paixão

Japan  v  Paraguay

27 May 2008	Japan	0–0	Paraguay	Saitama Stadium, Saitama
				Attendance: 27,998 Referee: Paulo Manuel Gomes Costa

2009 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Japan	6	2	2	0	0	8	0	+8
Chile	1	2	0	1	1	1	5	–4
Belgium	1	2	0	1	1	1	5	–4

Japan  v  Chile

27 May 2009	Japan	4–0	Chile	Nagai Stadium, Osaka
19:35	Okazaki  20', 24' Abe  53' Honda  90+2'	(Report) (Report 2)		Attendance: 43,531 Referee: Anders Hermansen

Belgium  v  Chile

29 May 2009	Belgium	1–1	Chile	Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba
19:00	Roelandts  17'	(Report)	Medel  23'	Attendance: 6,050 Referee: Minoru Tōjō

Japan  v  Belgium

31 May 2009	Japan	4–0	Belgium	National Stadium, Tokyo
19:20	Nagatomo  21' K. Nakamura  23' Okazaki  60' Yano  70'	(Report)		Attendance: 42,520 Referee: Rob Styles

2011 Kirin Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD
Czech Republic	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
Japan	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0
Peru	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0

Japan  v  Peru

1 June 2011	Japan	0–0	Peru	Niigata Stadium, Niigata
19:20		(Report)		Attendance: 39,048 Referee: Howard Webb

Czech Republic  v  Peru

4 June 2011	Czech Republic	0–0	Peru	Matsumoto Stadium, Nagano
15:00		(Report)		Attendance: 7,592 Referee: Ryuji Sato

Japan  v  Czech Republic

7 June 2011	Japan	0–0	Czech Republic	International Stadium Yokohama, Kanagawa
19:30		(Report)		Attendance: 65,856 Referee: Martin Atkinson

2013 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Uruguay

14 August 2013	Japan	2–4	Uruguay	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu
19:20 JST	Kagawa  55' Honda  72'	(Report)	Forlán  26', 29' Suárez  53' González  59'	Attendance: 45,883 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

2014 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Uruguay

5 September 2014	Japan	0–2	Uruguay	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
19:30 JST		(Report)	Cavani  34' Hernández  71'	Attendance: 39,294 Referee: Sang-woo Kim (South Korea)

2015 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Tunisia

27 March 2015	Japan	2–0	Tunisia	Ōita Bank Dome, Ōita
19:30 JST	Okazaki  78' Honda  82'	(Report)		Referee: Ben Williams (Australia)

Japan  v  Iraq

11 June 2015	Japan	4–0	Iraq	Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
19:00 JST	Honda  5' Makino  9' Okazaki  33' Haraguchi  84'	(Report)

2016 Kirin Cup Soccer

Japan against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Suita City Stadium in Osaka during the final of 2016 Kirin Cup.

Kirin Cup returned in 2016, under a new name and format: Kirin Cup Soccer 2016.[1]

Semi-finals

Bosnia and Herzegovina  v  Denmark

3 June 2016	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2−2 (4–3 p)	Denmark	Toyota Stadium, Toyota
16.00	Đurić  52', 82'		Kjær  22' Fischer  41'	Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Benjamin Williams (Australia)
	Penalties
	Vrančić Krunić Hodžić Stevanović Medunjanin		Rasmussen Vestergaard Christensen Schöne Eriksen

Japan  v  Bulgaria

3 June 2016	Japan	7–2	Bulgaria	Toyota Stadium, Toyota
19.40	Okazaki  3' Kagawa  26', 35' Yoshida  38', 53' Usami  57' Asano  87' (pen.)		Aleksandrov  59' Chochev  82'	Attendance: 41,940 Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)

Third place play-off

Denmark  v  Bulgaria

7 June 2016	Denmark	4−0	Bulgaria	Suita City Football Stadium, Suita
16.00	Rasmussen  39' Eriksen  72', 74', 82'	(Report)		Attendance: 14,223 Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Final

Bosnia and Herzegovina  v  Japan

7 June 2016	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2−1	Japan	Suita City Football Stadium, Suita
19.30	Đurić  29', 66'		Kiyotake  28'	Attendance: 35,589 Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)

2016 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Oman

11 November 2016	Japan	4−0	Oman	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
19:20 JST	Osako  32', 42' Kiyotake  64' (pen.) Kobayashi  90+4'	(Report) (PDF)		Attendance: 33,709 Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

2017 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Syria

7 June 2017	Japan	1−1	Syria	Tokyo Stadium, Chōfu
19:30 JST	Konno  58'	Report (PDF)	48' Mardikian	Attendance: 43,608 Referee: Daniel Stefański (Poland)

Japan  v  New Zealand

6 October 2017	Japan	2−1	New Zealand	Toyota Stadium, Toyota
19:30 JST	Osako  50' (pen.) Kurata  87'	Report (PDF)	58' Wood	Attendance: 38,461 Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

Japan  v  Haiti

10 October 2017	Japan	3−3	Haiti	Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
19:30 JST	Kurata  7' Sugimoto  17' Kagawa  90+2'	Report (PDF)	28' Lafrance  53', 78' Nazon	Attendance: 47,420 Referee: Peter Green (Australia)

2018 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Costa Rica

11 September 2018	Japan	3–0	Costa Rica	Suita, Japan
19:20 (UTC+9)	Oviedo  16' (o.g.) Minamino  66' J. Ito  90+3'	Report		Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita Attendance: 33,891 Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Japan  v  Panama

12 October 2018	Japan	3–0	Panama	Niigata, Japan
19:35 (UTC+9)	Minamino  42' J. Ito  66' Cummings  85' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Denka Big Swan Stadium Attendance: 38,322 Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)

Japan  v  Uruguay

16 October 2018	Japan	4–3	Uruguay	Saitama, Japan
19:35 (UTC+9)	Minamino  10', 66' Osako  36' Doan  59'	Report	Pereiro  28' Cavani  57' Rodríguez  75'	Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002 Attendance: 57,239 Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Japan  v  Venezuela

16 November 2018	Japan	1–1	Venezuela	Ōita, Japan
19:30 (UTC+9)	Sakai  40'	Report	Rincón  81' (pen.)	Stadium: Ōita Bank Dome Attendance: 33,369 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Japan  v  Kyrgyzstan

20 November 2018	Japan	4–0	Kyrgyzstan	Toyota, Japan
19:20 (UTC+9)	Yamanaka  2' Haraguchi  19' Osako  72' Nakajima  73'	Report		Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 38,353 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

2019 Kirin Challenge Cup

Japan  v  Colombia

22 March 2019	Japan	0–1	Colombia	Yokohama, Japan
19:20 JST		Source	Falcao  64' (pen.)	Stadium: Nissan Stadium Attendance: 63,302 Referee: Peter Green (Australia)

Japan  v  Bolivia

26 March 2019	Japan	1–0	Bolivia	Kobe, Japan
19:30 JST	Nakajima  76'	Source		Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe Attendance: 28,133 Referee: Kurt Ams (Australia)

Japan  v  Trinidad and Tobago

5 June 2019	Japan	0–0	Trinidad and Tobago	Toyota City, Japan
19:30 (UTC+9)		Report		Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 38,507 Referee: Zhang Lei (China)

Japan  v  El Salvador

9 June 2019	Japan	2–0	El Salvador	Rifu, Japan
19:00 (UTC+9)	Nagai  19', 42'	Report		Stadium: Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi Attendance: 38,092 Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Japan  v  Paraguay

5 September 2019	Japan	2–0	Paraguay	Kashima, Japan
19:20 (UTC+9)	Osako  23' Minamino  30'	Report		Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium Attendance: 29,071 Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

Japan  v  Venezuela

19 November 2019	Japan	1–4	Venezuela	Suita, Japan
19:25 (UTC+9)	Yamaguchi  70'	Report	Rondón  8', 31', 34' Soteldo  38'	Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita Attendance: 33,399 Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)

2020 Kirin Challenge Cup

On July 17, Japan national under-23 football team was planning to hold the 2020 Kirin Challenge Cup at Noevir Stadium Kobe, but it was canceled COVID-19.[2]

Winners

Clubs

• 1978 : Borussia Mönchengladbach and SE Palmeiras (Shared)
• 1979 : Tottenham Hotspur
• 1980 : Middlesbrough
• 1981 : Club Brugge
• 1982 : Werder Bremen
• 1983 : Newcastle United
• 1984 : Internacional
• 1985 : Santos
• 1986 : Werder Bremen
• 1987 : Fluminense
• 1988 : CR Flamengo
• 1989 : Not Held
• 1990 : Not Held

National teams

• 1992 :  Argentina
• 1993 :  Hungary
• 1994 :  France
• 1995 :  Japan
• 1996 :  Japan
• 1997 :  Japan
• 1998 :  Czech Republic
• 1999 :  Belgium and  Peru (Shared)
• 2000 :  Japan and  Slovakia (Shared)
• 2001 :  Japan
• 2002 : Not Finished
• 2003 : Not Finished
• 2004 :  Japan
• 2005 :  Peru and  United Arab Emirates (Shared)
• 2006 :  Scotland
• 2007 :  Japan
• 2008 :  Japan
• 2009 :  Japan
• 2010 : Not Held
• 2011 :  Japan,  Czech Republic and  Peru (Shared)
• 2012 : Not Held
• 2013 :  Uruguay
• 2014 :  Uruguay
• 2015 :  Japan
• 2016 :  Bosnia and Herzegovina

See also

• Japan national football team
• Japan Football Association
• Football in Japan
• Kirin Company
• Arabian Gulf Cup
• Bangabandhu Cup
• China Cup
• Four Nations Tournament
• Indonesian Independence Cup
• King's Cup
• Korea Cup
• LG Cup
• Lunar New Year Cup
• Merdeka Tournament
• Merlion Cup
• Nehru Cup
• Pestabola Merdeka
• VFF Cup

References

1. www.jfa.jp (25 January 2016). "Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark to participate in KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2016". Retrieved 25 January 2016.
2. www.jfa.jp (1 April 2020). "KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2020 of U-23 National Team Cancelled". Retrieved 30 June 2020.

External links

• Japan Football Association (in English)
• Statistics at RSSSF
• Kirin Cup at Soccerway
• Kirin Outline of support (in Japanese)