Japan, who belongs to the East Asian Football Federation, will meet with the very top of the world. They are going to attend the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013, to be held from 15th June.

For this version of the competition, the winners of continental championships plus host nation Brazil as well as Italy, the runners-up of UEFA EURO 2012, will gather. Italy earned the berth after Spain won both the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and UEFA EURO 2012.

In their first appearance in two tournaments and fifth overall, Japan will play against Brazil in the opening match. When they met in Poland last October, Brazil earned a comfortable 4-0 win. Arberto Zaccheroni's team will try to settle the score at the home of the South American champions.

Furthermore, as a host nation, Brazil is highly motivated and is eager to play as team prepares for the Confederations Cup. Already qualified for the coming FIFA World Cup as hosts, the "football kingdom" have been trying to enhance their team level through friendly matches. However, they lost 1-2 against England in February and could only draw with Italy and Russia the following month. Concerns about the future of Selecao are now piling up around Luiz Felipe Scolari's side. To earn support from citizens, Brazil must succeed in this tournament at home.



Against this background, genuine world-class talents such as defender Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain / France), midfielder Oscar (Chelsea / England), and forward Hulk (Zenit / Russia) are sure to play against Japan with utmost seriousness. In their squad is also forward Neymar, who has agreed to join Barcelona (Spain) from one of the most prestigious Brazilian club, Santos.

Italy, Japan's second opponent, boast players that are as talented as Brazil's. The 31 players called up before final selection include the world's leading goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) and striker Mario Balotelli (Milan). Zaccheroni's management in his first game against his homeland will attract much attention.

The third hurdle for Japan is also high; it's Mexico.
The two teams met in the 2005 tournament and Mexico won 2-1. They also battled in the semi-finals of the London Olympic Games last year with Mexico beating Japan 3-1. For Japan's key players Maya Yoshida (Southampton / England) and Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nurnberg / Germany), this game will be an opportunity to gain revenge for the defeat at the Olympics.

Group B consists of Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti, and Nigeria. The current world and European champions Spain and Uruguay are seen as group favourites, but Nigeria cannot be taken lightly either after they won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.

The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals. The winners of the last-four meetings progress to the final while the losers go to the third place play-off. The two weeks of battle among continental champions will certainly excite football fans all over the world.
Japan's veteran midfielder Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka) shows his strong desire for Japan's success, saying "In this tournament, we can play serious games against the world's giants. We want to know how much we can compete with them and, of course, aim to reach the late stages of the tournament.” One year prior to the FIFA World Cup, this competition will be a desirable opportunity for Japan to figure out the gap between the world's best teams and them.



The referee teams for the tournament, which have been already announced, include a Japanese team consisting of referee Yuichi Nishimura and assistant referees Toru Sagara and Toshiyuki Nagi. Fans should also pay attention to their performance to support the tournament.