This is the result of what they’ve done for us

When Naho and I, along with Japanese fans, began voicing criticism on Twitter toward the federation, they started doing a slightly better job than before we spoke out. But it’s still not good enough—even though the games are now available to watch on YouTube. Sure, die-hard fans will watch, but most people wouldn’t even know a game happened. That’s why live streaming is so important for any sport.

For example, the federation uploaded the full match video to their YouTube channel five days after the game. But even then, the video had no commentary, no visuals or names for the starting eleven, and no background about the players or the team. It was just the raw game footage—nothing more.

Knowing there would be no broadcast or stream, Naho live-tweeted during both matches against Brazil and the USA—something the federation should have been doing.

She shouldn’t have had to take on that responsibility, but she did it as a statement—a clear message showing the federation what they should be doing in the absence of live coverage.

Eventually, the federation did live-tweet the last game against Canada. That showed us they were capable of doing it, but they simply hadn’t been doing it until now.

We believe the absence of broadcasting for the SheBelieves Cup this year is the result of 12 years of the federation failing to maintain or elevate our visibility and competitiveness on the world stage. It’s not just about this one tournament—this has been a long-standing issue, and this is the outcome of how we've been treated over time.

After winning the World Cup, we always played with a sense of urgency, knowing our popularity wouldn't last unless we kept performing at a high level. We understood the Japanese mindset—if we stopped winning, the media coverage would fade. And we felt that the federation wasn't fully behind us.

Between 2011 and 2015, we received significant media attention. We were constantly on the news, and “Nadeshiko” was popular enough to draw viewers on name alone. But even during those years, the federation didn’t organize enough matches in Japan or schedule games on official FIFA match days.

That’s the heart of the issue: even as world champions, we didn’t get enough home games. The public should have had more chances to watch us on TV or in person, but most of our matches were played abroad.

It wasn’t okay that we lacked home games, but we didn’t feel comfortable asking the federation for more support or better opportunities. We believed we should’ve had more high-quality matches—especially in Japan—but the situation only continued to decline.

Then, after we failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016, the federation changed direction. They removed most of the experienced, well-known players and began building a completely different team and structure. Since then, we haven’t received the same level of attention or recognition.

Our Achievements Over the Last 12 Years

Here’s what we’ve accomplished since 2011:

• Algarve Cup 2011: 3rd Place

• FIFA World Cup 2011: Champions

• Olympic Qualifiers 2012: 1st/6

• Algarve Cup 2012: 2nd/12

• London Olympics 2012: Silver Medal

• Algarve Cup 2013: 5th/12

• Algarve Cup 2014: 2nd/12

• Asian Cup 2014: Champions

• Algarve Cup 2015: 9th/12

• FIFA World Cup 2015: Runner-Up

• Olympic Qualifiers 2016: 3rd/6 (Did not qualify)

• Algarve Cup 2017: 6th/12

• Tournament of Nations 2017: 3rd/4

• Tournament of Nations 2018: 4th/4

• Asian Cup 2018: Champions

• SheBelieves Cup 2019: 3rd/4

• FIFA World Cup 2019: Knocked out in Round of 16

• SheBelieves Cup 2020: 4th/4

• Tokyo Olympics 2021: Knocked out in Round of 16

• Asian Cup 2022: 3rd Place

• SheBelieves Cup 2023: 2nd/4

  
  

It’s incredibly difficult to build and maintain a team that consistently competes at the top level. We reached that level after years of hard work, and we stayed there for about 4–5 years.

Yes, we’ve declined in recent years. But while our results have become inconsistent, other countries have continued to improve. We can’t say exactly where the difference lies, but we know the federation could have done more. There were plenty of chances to keep us competitive.

That’s why it’s essential to create value around the team—to keep fans engaged and invested. The federation should be offering and expanding opportunities for people to watch us.

Women’s sports in Japan have always struggled with lower media coverage and attendance compared to men’s. Sure, that’s partly related to performance, but have people even had enough chances to see how exciting our games are? Can we maintain that appeal without being solely reliant on results? Because if we play attractive football, people will want to watch.

Game exposure and media coverage should not be dependent on results alone.

From my perspective, the national team should always aim to win. There’s never a game where losing is acceptable. The federation should do everything possible to support players, to give them chances to perform in front of fans. Players should be selected through fair evaluation, and supported in ways that maximize our chances to win.

National team players should feel proud to represent their country—and understand that they carry the responsibility of passing on the team’s values to the next generation. The federation needs to treat players with this level of respect and awareness. Success at the national team level can impact kids, inspire future players, and uplift the entire domestic league.

Players need to show their value on the field—and the federation should help bring that value to the world.

This is the bare minimum we should expect—from both the federation and the players.

Attendance & Match Frequency

Let’s look at how many games we’ve played each year—and the attendance numbers.

We’ve consistently lacked enough home games. We traveled a lot for international matches, and we didn’t get the quality matchups needed to properly prepare for major tournaments. But we never used that as an excuse—we always gave it our all.

We always wanted to play in front of our fans, but those opportunities were rare. Even after winning the World Cup, attendance dropped significantly after 2016—and hasn’t returned to over 10,000.

In 2009, we had only three international matches the whole year.

In 2011, just one home game before the World Cup (vs. South Korea), with an attendance of 4,202. And we had no home games after winning the World Cup—a huge missed opportunity for the federation.

Key Attendance Figures:

2012 – Three home games before the Olympics (USA, Brazil, Australia)

• USA: 15,159

• Brazil: 12,862

• Australia: 22,048　No home games after winning silver.

2013 – Three home games (New Zealand, Nigeria x2)

• New Zealand: 8,881

• Nigeria: 15,206

• Nigeria: 10,174

2014 – Two home games (New Zealand, Ghana)

• New Zealand: 6,685

• Ghana: 12,288

2015 – Two home games before the World Cup (New Zealand, Italy)

• New Zealand: 14,154

• Italy: 14,453　No home games after finishing 2nd.

2016 – Rio Olympic Qualifiers in Japan (five games in 10 days):

• Australia: 4,988

• South Korea: 5,605

• China: 6,959

• Vietnam: 3,418

• North Korea: 4,766

2017–2022 – Attendance continued to fluctuate, with many low-turnout games despite major tournaments and friendlies.

The highest-ever attendance was 31,324 in 2004 against North Korea. Since then, it has consistently declined.

Even though Japan has a smaller population than the U.S., the federation could have done more to promote the team and grow attendance.

This is not how a World Cup–winning team should be treated. The federation had a responsibility to elevate women’s football—not just in Japan, but worldwide.