Japan vs Indonesia

Four titles against a first knockout tie

Japan have won this tournament four times, more than anyone else, and did it inside a twenty-year window that closed in 2011. Indonesia won their first knockout place in 2023, at a fifth attempt, having taken almost nothing from the four before it.

The gap in tournament record is the widest in Group F. What narrows it is recent direction: Japan have not won this tournament since 2011, while Indonesia have spent the same period qualifying for things they had not qualified for before.

They meet at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on the opening matchday, which for Indonesia is the hardest possible draw and for Japan the kind of fixture where nothing is gained and something can be lost.

The two records

This is a eleventh Asian Cup for Japan, whose best finish is winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011), against a sixth for Indonesia, best round of 16 (2023).