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SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jul 6, 2015

Nadeshiko fans unbowed by 5-2 loss to U.S. in World Cup final

Even a stunning 5-2 loss to the United States can't harm the legacy of Homare Sawa, who likely made her final World Cup appearance in Sunday's match. That's how many of her local supporters feel, at least.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2015

FIFA's shocking calls awakened a U.S. giant

American law enforcement is looking to dismantle the cozy old-boy hierarchy that Seth Blatter has learned to play since he joined FIFA in 1975.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 12, 2011

English school teams up with famed U.K. soccer academy

An English-language school in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, has tied up with the prestigious soccer school in the U.K. that produced David Beckham, aiming to help young Japanese get a grasp of the language so they can play abroad professionally.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 20, 2008

Soccer that's played the wheely way

I like soccer. I like to watch it. I even tried to play it a few times when I was a kid, though I was not good at sports that didn't require me to use my hands, so I switched to tennis and basketball. But I can imagine how skillful you have to be to play football well, and how much fun and how exciting...
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Jul 20, 2002

'Father of Japanese soccer' voices opinions on World Cup

While Japan was battling to reach the Round of 16 during the recent World Cup, one man was closely watching over the cohost's performance as a coach -- and in some ways like a father.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
May 26, 2002

Soccer coach for the intellectually challenged lets 'em play

After being made head coach of the national soccer team last August, Hiroshi Ohashi's first order was for the grown-ups to get off the pitch.
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jul 18, 2023

WE League chair: Japan sees 'cute' players, not elite athletes

Momentum behind women’s soccer in Japan has stalled in the years since its 2011 triumph and 2015 runner-up finish, even as global interest in women’s sports accelerates.
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jul 12, 2023

Fukushima-born Jun Endo ready to run free for Japan at World Cup

The Angel City forward recalls watching the 2011 final in the middle of the night with her parents and three siblings, describing it as 'a turning point' in her life.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 10, 2023

Iran to allow women to attend league soccer matches

Women in Iran, who have long been barred from attending soccer matches except for rare occasions, will be allowed into stadiums during the upcoming season, a top official said Sunday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Oct 3, 2022

Seventeen children listed among dead after Indonesian soccer stampede

'Seventeen children died and seven were treated, but there is a possibility that could increase,' a ministry official said.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 15, 2021

Messi’s PSG in league of its own for French soccer TV cash

New Ligue 1 TV rights distribution plan is likely to upset some of French soccer's most historic clubs, which could find themselves in the lowest tier.
PRESS / Events
Dec 1, 2021

“Tackling social exclusion through soccer” with Naofumi Suzuki

The Japan Times Cube Inc. (representative director: Minako Suematsu) launched Roundtable by The Japan Times, a series of talk events broadcasted in Japan.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 25, 2021

English soccer risks financial chaos without more even sharing

A report published late Wednesday found that despite the wealth in the Premier League, teams across the English game have fallen into administration 62 times since 1992.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Aug 19, 2021

Former Afghanistan women's soccer captain advises players to burn uniforms and delete photos

'What we are seeing is a country collapsing,' Khalida Popal said. 'All the pride, happiness to be there to empower women and men of the country, is like it was just wasted.'
Japan Times
SOCCER
Aug 17, 2021

Doomed Super League architects rejoin top European soccer body

Spanish soccer giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Italy's Juventus — also among the clubs behind the Super League — are not due to rejoin the ECA, however.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2021

The beautiful game has turned ugly in China

Pressure on embattled retailer Suning Appliance Group Co. forced the conglomerate to reconsider its investment in the team. China's soccer bubble is rapidly deflating.
Japan Times
SOCCER / From the Spot
Aug 7, 2019

Soccer commentator turned dream into reality

Foreigners living in Japan have few opportunities to introduce their favorite sports teams. For English teachers, it's usually in front of a class of attentive elementary or junior high school students. For others, it's an easy way to start a conversation at their local bar, especially while a Premier...
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 13, 2019

Keisuke Honda calls for Japanese clubs to focus on defending

Tuesday's Asian Champions League game at Edion Stadium in Hiroshima marked exactly 4,112 days since Keisuke Honda had last stood on a Japanese pitch representing his club rather than his country.
English and Italian footballers observe a minute of silence for the victims of a deadly shooting in Brussels and of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine, at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023

Qatar-owned network altered broadcasts to avoid war references

Instead of tributes and moments of silence at recent games, beIN broadcasts aired extended studio discussions that hewed solely toward soccer.
SOCCER
Feb 24, 2024

Want to play in the Asian Champions League? It will cost you.

Urawa Reds reported to the FIFPro union that only the finalists would earn enough prize money to recover their costs.
Inter Miami’s signing of Lionel Messi has served to highlight the demand for top talent among U.S. soccer fans, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
SOCCER
May 7, 2024

MLS must attract best players to grow, says Infantino

Major League Soccer salary and roster restrictions mean that teams are unable to spend freely when it comes to signing top players.
Indonesia fans watch a livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia on screens outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams

Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as it attempts to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Sanfrecce have attracted more than 25,000 fans to each of their J. League games at the spectacular Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima since it opened in February.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 23, 2024

Sanfrecce feeling right at home at shiny new stadium in Hiroshima

The soccer club's new home has helped the team attract more than 25,000 fans to each J1 game in the baseball-mad city.
A banner is displayed by Northern Ireland fans in protest against the redevelopment of Casement Park for use in Euro 2028, at Windsor Park in Belfast last October.
SOCCER
Aug 24, 2024

Derelict stadium for Euro 2028 highlights Belfast’s bitter divide

The issue is stirring up old divisions and proving to be an early headache for the Labour government.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri (left) battles with Inter Milan's Carlos Augusto during Champions League action on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Sep 22, 2024

Will Premier League players really go on strike?

The debate over soccer’s crowded calendar has rumbled on and on, but a recent comment by Manchester City's Rodri feels like a significant moment.
Lassana Diarra in Paris in May last year. Diarra was at the center of a high-profile case that could shake up the transfer market in European soccer.
SOCCER
Oct 4, 2024

Top EU court rules against FIFA in key transfer market ruling

In a landmark decision, the EU's top court has ruled some international soccer rules regulating player transfers are contrary to the bloc's laws.
Stuttgart's Anrie Chase applauds the fans after a match against Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 1.
SOCCER
Dec 29, 2024

How Anrie Chase went from a Fukushima high school to playing against Real Madrid

Just three years ago, the Stuttgart defender was still playing for Shoshi High School in Koriyama. Now he's competing against the likes of Kylian Mbappe.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (center of three) looks dejected after Thomas Partey scores Arsenal's second goal on Sunday.
SOCCER
Feb 6, 2025

Manchester City’s troubles spread from Premier League to politics

After years of dominance, this season Man City is regularly losing matches. But it is events off the pitch that risk undoing one of the world's biggest soccer clubs.
Israel's players pose for a team photo before a match against Moldova in Chisinau, Moldova, on Sept. 5.
SOCCER
Sep 26, 2025

UEFA poised for vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition

The brewing crisis intensified this week when United Nations experts called for Israel's suspension from international soccer.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes