Has Brazil already lost to Japan? See a retrospective of the selections

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup is coming to an end, and Brazil, leader of Group C, has already met its opponent in the first knockout challenge: Japan, who finished in second place in Group F.

The teams have a deep close relationship created by one of the greatest idols in the history of Amarelinha, Zico.

And in addition to the star, other coaches, players and professionals from the football world contributed to the development of Japanese football, placing Brazil in a place of respect and reference.

Confrontation history
Brazil is 5th in the FIFA rankings, and Japan is 17th. In the history of the teams, there are 16 clashes, with 13 Brazilian victories, two draws and only one defeat, in the most recent game, under the command of Carlo Ancelotti.

On that occasion, Brazil lost 3-2, at the Ajinomoto Stadium, in Tokyo, after having led 2-0 on the scoreboard. Those were scored by Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli, in the first half. In the final stage, Minamino, Fabrício Bruno (against) and Ueda scored for the Japanese comeback.

Before that, an undefeated series
The Brazilian team had never lost to Japan until then. The story began on July 23, 1989, at Maracanã. In the duel, a young goalkeeper began to embark on a successful career with Amarelinha: Taffarel.

At that time, Japanese football was still in its infancy towards its professional era, which came in the early 1990s.

In the following years, more friendlies - two in 1995 (3×0 and 5×1 for Brazil), one in 1997 (3×0 for Brazil) and in 1999 (2×0).

In 2001 and 2005, the two teams faced each other in the Confederations Cup, in the only two draws in the history of the confrontation (0x0 and 2x2).

Brazil met Japan for the first time in a World Cup in 2006, in the third round of Group F. The five-time champion squad defeated the team coached by Zico 4-1, with two goals from Ronaldo, one from Juninho Pernambucano and one from Gilberto.

Japan is confident
The Japanese have reason to believe in a good campaign in the World Cup. The squad had one of the best campaigns in the Asian Qualifiers, with 13 wins, two draws and one defeat.

The Blue Samurais have been winning World Cups since 1998, and dream of a campaign that goes beyond the round of 16, a stage in which they were eliminated in 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022.

All Brazil x Japan clashes in history

- Friendly/1989 - Brazil 1 x 0 Japan
- Friendly/1995 - Brazil 3 x 0 Japan 0 x 0 Japan
- Confederations Cup/2005 - Japan 2 x 2 Brazil
- World Cup/2006 - Japan 1 x 4 Brazil
- Friendly/2012 - Japan 0 x 4 Brazil
- Confederations Cup/2013 - Brazil 3 x 0 Japan
- Friendly/2014 - Brazil 4 x 0 Japan
- Friendly/2016 - Brazil 2 x 0 Japan
- Friendly/2017 - Japan 1 x 3 Brazil
- Friendly/2022 - Japan 0 x 1 Brazil
- Friendly/2025 - Japan 3 x 2 Brazil

Survey: the number of fans who believe in hexa grows

Source: CNN