The Japanese Football Association (JFA) announced on Friday that outgoing manager Hajime Moriyasu (58) will step down next week. Moriyasu will thus leave the national team bench following the postponement of the Asian Cup, which was scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Moriyasu has led the Japanese side since 2018 and was due to depart at the end of the continental tournament. The Asian Championship was set to be held in January in Saudi Arabia, but has been postponed to December 2027 due to the conflict in the Middle East. Because of this schedule change, his mandate ends earlier than planned.
The Japanese Football Association confirmed that the friendly matches in Singapore against Brazil on Saturday and against Paraguay next Tuesday will be Moriyasu’s last on the national team bench. He will therefore bid farewell to the national team in two friendly matches, before formally stepping down next week.
Moriyasu is the longest-serving Japanese manager. In a total of 112 matches, he achieved 77 wins, 17 draws and 18 defeats. During his tenure, he led Japan to silver at the 2019 Asian Championship, to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, where Croatia won on penalties, and to the round of 16 at the World Cup in North America after a defeat to Brazil (1-2).
