Japan will host the Black Stars of Ghana in the 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi later today.
This international friendly is a crucial warm-up match for both teams as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.
Japan is coming off a remarkable 3-2 win against Brazil and is currently unbeaten in their last eight matches, with five wins and two draws. Ghana, on the other hand, have been impressive, winning six of their last eight games and securing their World Cup spot with a 1-0 win over Comoros in October.
Coach Otto Addo has been preparing his team in Nagoya since Wednesday, with a number of absentees, but feels he has a hungry young team to upset their hosts. The team is without captain Jordan Ayew, Thomas Partey, Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Kudus, and Elisha Owusu due to injury concerns, while Mohammed Salisu is also a doubt following a late arrival in Japan.
Historically, Japan has held the upper hand, winning five of eight previous meetings. However, Ghana has been in great form, with a six-match unbeaten streak, with their last defeat dating back to May when they lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Nigeria in the 2025 Unity Cup at the Brentford Stadium in London.
Ghana aims to parade a decent blend with the likes of Gideon Mensah, Kamal Deen Sulemana, Lawrence Ati-Zigi, and Alidu Seidu, while Kwasi Sibo, Caleb Yirenkyi, and Antoine Semenyo fight to inspire the younger ones on Friday.
Newcomers Prince Kwabena Adu, Prince Osei Owusu, Derrick Kohn, and Kelvin Nkrumah have yet to find their feet but bring some freshness to the setup after two impressive training sessions.
The match will kick off at 7 pm (Japan Time), 10 am Ghana Time.