India heads into its AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 match against Japan with an unfavourable head-to-head record against the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion.
The two sides have met five times in history, with Japan winning four of those encounters. Their most recent meeting came in 2023 during the Olympic Qualifiers, where the Blue Tigresses suffered a 0-7 defeat.
India’s only victory over Japan came in their first-ever meeting. According to Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF), the match was played in 1986 at the First Lady Tien Soeharto Women’s Soccer Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
India won 1-0 thanks to a third-minute goal from Anita Sarkar.
India vs Japan head-to-head record
Matches played: 5
India wins: 1
Japan wins: 4
India vs Japan head-to-head record in AFC Women’s Asian Cup
Matches played: 2
India wins: 0
Japan wins: 2
India vs Japan: List of all matches so far
1986 – Japan 7-0 India – Tien Soeharto Cup
1986 – India 1-0 Japan – Tien Soeharto Cup
1995 – Japan 6-0 India – AFC Women’s Asian Championship
1997 – Japan 1-0 India – AFC Women’s Asian Championship
2023 – Japan 7-0 India – Olympic qualifiers
Published on Mar 07, 2026
