🏏 Sat, 10 Oct 2026 03:00 JST
ハイチ女子代表
vs
Japan Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Japan Women travel to face Haiti in a friendly that kicks off at 03:00 Japan time on 10 October, the first half of a two-match trip that continues against Germany four days later (00:45 JST on 14 October). With two very different opponents back to back, the window doubles as a stress test of Japan's squad depth: all eleven starters are Japanese internationals and the bench is stacked with Europe-based names.
- Japan's midfield spine pairs Yui Hasegawa (29, CM) with Fuka Nagano (27, DM). Hasegawa came through NTV Beleza and spent time at West Ham before joining Manchester City, where she arrived as an attacking playmaker and developed into one of the league's best ball-winners as well. Nagano, comfortable on both feet, anchors the side and drops between the centre-backs to help build, and she has already scored at Anfield for Liverpool.
- Up front, Kiko Seike (30, RW) and Hinata Miyazawa (26, LW) give Japan a direct threat. Seike built her career entirely at Urawa Reds Ladies, where she swept the WE League scoring title, MVP award and Best XI, then marked her WSL debut for Brighton with a hat-trick after moving in 2024. Miyazawa, a 155cm left-footer and the 2023 World Cup Golden Boot winner, joined Manchester United from Mynavi Sendai Ladies and thrives attacking the half-spaces.
- Two players born in the 2000s start together in midfield: Momoko Tanikawa (23, CM) and Maika Hamano (22, AM). Tanikawa, a JFA Academy Fukushima graduate who moved on from FC Rosengård, strikes the ball equally well with either foot and scored in three straight Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich. Hamano left INAC Kobe Leonessa for Chelsea, helped them to a sixth consecutive WSL title and scored the winner in the 2026 Asian Cup final before moving to Tottenham.
- The back line is built around centre-backs Hana Takahashi (25) and Rion Ishikawa (23), with Hikaru Kitagawa (29) at right-back. Takahashi is the defensive anchor at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies, strong in duels and reliable in possession. Ishikawa and Kitagawa are club-mates after both joined Everton in 2025: Ishikawa has 2023 World Cup and Paris Olympic experience, while Kitagawa went from INAC Kobe to BK Häcken before scoring from distance on her English debut.
- Akane Okuma of INAC Kobe Leonessa takes the gloves, which means 31-year-old Ayaka Yamashita of Manchester City starts on the bench. Yamashita is short for a goalkeeper at 170cm but compensates with sharp reflexes and positioning, and her comfort with the ball at her feet makes her a genuine part of Japan's build-up. The choice underlines how much of this friendly is about testing the pecking order.
- Japan's bench produced a wave of attacking changes: Toko Koga (21, CB), Honoka Hayashi (28, CM), Aoba Fujino (22, AM), Remina Chiba (27, RW) and Maya Hijikata (22, RW) all came on. Koga signed a four-year deal at Tottenham from Feyenoord and was named player of the match on debut, while Chiba once came off the bench for Frankfurt and completed a hat-trick inside four minutes, so Japan's substitutions carry real end product.
- There is a strong Urawa thread running through the starting eleven. Seike, Ishikawa and Nagano all list Urawa Reds Ladies among their former clubs, and Takahashi still plays for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies. The WE League powerhouse has effectively supplied the backbone of this national team selection, with most of those graduates now based in Europe.
- Haiti, the designated home side, named N. Louissaint (1), D. M. Dumornay (6), B. Raphino (8) and N. Mondesir (10) among their starters. Fourteen players were listed on the bench, five of whom were used: A. Pierre-Louis (14), F. Joseph (15), L. Etienne (19), L. Moise (5) and Chelsea Domond (17). That spread of minutes is typical of a friendly, and it means Japan have to keep adjusting to fresh legs across the ninety minutes.