🏏 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:00 JST
Japan Women
vs
Vietnam
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- This is the final group game. Japan play their third match at HBF Park in Perth, this time against Vietnam, and the coaching staff have kept nine of the eleven who started the opening fixture with Chinese Taipei. The two changes are up front, where Riko Ueki replaces Mina Tanaka, and in central defence, where Saki Kumagai comes in for Moeka Minami.
- Ueki, 26, won the WE League golden boot at Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza before moving permanently to West Ham in 2023, where she became a first-choice centre-forward in her debut season and was the inaugural winner of the club's WSL Young Hammer of the Year award. Vietnam's back line features T. Luong Thi, 25 and 168cm, H. L. Tran Thi, 24 and 166cm, and 29-year-old My Le Thi Diem at 160cm.
- Japan's centre-back pairing spans eleven years. Kumagai, 35 and 172cm, won the 2011 World Cup, claimed consecutive Champions League titles at Lyon and also played for FFC Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and Roma. Next to her, 24-year-old Hana Takahashi anchors the defence for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies in the WE League, where her one-on-one defending and accurate distribution earned her a regular international place.
- Fuka Nagano sits at the base of midfield. The 27-year-old is two-footed, drops between the centre-backs to help build possession and threads vertical passes with good judgement; she has already scored at Anfield for Liverpool. Ahead of her, 29-year-old Yui Hasegawa, just 155cm, makes her third consecutive start of the tournament. Vietnam counter with 33-year-old T. T. Thao Tran, Thai Thi Thao, 31 and 159cm, and 24-year-old V. Ngan Thi at 150cm.
- Japan's attacking midfield trio are all in their early twenties. Maika Hamano, 21, went from INAC Kobe to Chelsea, where she was part of six straight WSL title wins, and now plays for Tottenham. Aoba Fujino, 22, relies on explosive acceleration and joined Manchester City from Beleza in 2024. Momoko Tanikawa, 22, came through the JFA Academy Fukushima, is comfortable on both feet and scored in three consecutive Bundesliga matches for Bayern.
- Both full-backs like to get forward. On the right, Risa Shimizu, 29 and 157cm, converted from forward to defender and moved on loan from Manchester City to Liverpool in 2025, offering pace and crossing quality. On the left, Hikaru Kitagawa, 28, started her overseas career at BK Hacken in Sweden after INAC Kobe and joined Everton in 2025, marking her debut with a goal from distance.
- Ayaka Yamashita takes the gloves for Japan. At 170cm the 30-year-old is small for a goalkeeper, but her reflexes, positioning and distribution make her a thoroughly modern option, and she has been at Manchester City since 2024. Vietnam start Khong Thi Hang, 32 and 169cm, with another 32-year-old, K. Tran Thi at 165cm, on the bench. How aggressively Vietnam press Japan's build-up will shape the early rhythm.
- Vietnam have plenty of experience in reserve. No. 9 Huynh Nhu, 34 and 158cm, heads a group that also includes T. Tran Thi, 35 and 157cm, Pham Hai Yen, 31 and 162cm, Duong Thi Van, 31 and just 150cm, and M. Nguyen Thi, 31 and 154cm. With so many smaller players available, Vietnam are more likely to look for quick combinations on the ground than aerial duels against the 172cm Kumagai.
- Japan's bench is deep too. Hinata Miyazawa, 26, was the golden boot winner at the 2023 World Cup; Takako Seike, 29, completed a WE League treble of golden boot, MVP and team of the season; Mina Tanaka, 31, is a proven striker; and Toko Koga, 21, signed a four-year deal with Tottenham in 2025 after a spell at Feyenoord. Also waiting are Mami Matsukubo, 21, the NWSL midfielder of the year, Maya Hijikata, 21, now at Aston Villa, and Yuzuki Yamamoto, 23, a former WE League MVP.