TOKYO: According to the country’s football chief, Japan wants to host the Women’s World Cup in 2031 to boost domestic soccer and close the gap with Europe and North America.
The competition was won by Japan in 2011, but women’s football has grown in popularity in Europe in recent years.
Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said in an interview at JFA headquarters in Tokyo, in front of a huge picture of Japan’s World Cup-winning team, “We would like to raise the value of women’s football here.”
When Japan and South Korea co-hosted the World Cup in 2002, which helped pique the public’s interest in football, Miyamoto was captain of the men’s team.
He took over as JFA chief this year at the age of 47, and he has similar hopes for the Women’s World Cup in 2031. The event has never been held in the nation.
However, a joint bid from the United States and Mexico is anticipated, so Japan will likely face stiff competition for hosting rights. China and England are also said to be interested.
Miyamoto stated, “We have the WE League, and it has been struggling to gather an audience.” We would like to add more female players to this team.
The professional women’s WE League started in 2021, but it hasn’t been able to draw as many people or make as much money as women’s leagues in Europe and the US.
Since losing to the United States in the World Cup final in 2015, Japan’s women have not advanced past the quarterfinals.
According to Miyamoto, Japan “could have done better” to capitalize on the victory in 2011, which sparked a lot of interest in women’s football before quickly waning.
The former defender said that his time with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria “inspired me a lot” and that he wants a more passionate football culture in Japan.
He stated, “They have their own culture, and football is part of their daily lives.” In Japan, we have not established that kind of community. I want football to become a part of our culture in Japan.
Miyamoto played multiple times for his nation, captaining the side at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
At a time when only a few Japan internationals played for European clubs, he spent the majority of his career in the domestic J. League.
The Japanese national team has benefited from the presence of Japanese players across Europe, regularly making the World Cup knockout rounds.
Miyamoto referred to the current generation of players as “very normal” and said, “They play in the Champions League.”
“They have no fear when they face big teams like Germany or Spain.”
Japan’s national team has benefited from the steady stream of players moving to Europe, but J. League clubs have also faced challenges.
Despite Miyamoto’s assertion that “transfer fees for Japanese players are low compared to players from South America,” they must continue to produce talent.
In 2021, Brighton signed winger Kaoru Mitoma for just 2.5 million pounds, while Celtic paid 4.5 million pounds for prolific goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi that same year.
Miyamoto stated, “In Europe, clubs are very strong, but in Japan, clubs are not that strong.”
Players with only six months remaining on their contracts continue to participate in official matches. They will be free to move anywhere after the season, and clubs will not receive any compensation.
Miyamoto wants to change the way Japanese football is thought about.
He completed the FIFA Master Sports Executive program and coached the J. League team Gamba Osaka for a time.
He is the youngest JFA president since the end of World War II and the first JFA president to have participated in a World Cup.
Miyamoto stated, “Former players, especially players who played at a high level, know how the world of football works.”
“As a person, 47 is not young.” When it comes to leaders of national organizations, 47 might be too young.
“Maybe a new generation can bring something new to the world.”
