Australia–Japan football rivalry
Australia played against Japan at the 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| Other names | Socceroos vs Samurai Blue |
|---|---|
| Location | Asia (AFC) |
| Teams | Australia Japan |
| First meeting | 27 November 1956 1956 Summer Olympics Australia 2–0 Japan |
| Latest meeting | 5 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Australia 1–0 Japan |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 29 |
| Most wins | Japan (11) |
| All-time series | Australia: 8 Drawn: 10 Japan: 11 |
The Australia–Japan football rivalry is a sports rivalry that exists between the national association football teams of each country, regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries. The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from several highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. The two teams have played each other in several significant matches, including a World Cup group stage match, the 2011 Asian Cup final and have been drawn in the same group in five consecutive World Cup qualification campaigns.