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Japan are thriving as underdogs. They drew with the mighty Spain in Las Rozas and slayed the same side in Fafe. They overcame IR Iran and Thailand, who were both above them on the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Ranking, to conquer Asia in May. Now the Nadeshiko Five want to outdo expectations at the first FIFA Futsal’s Women’s World Cup™, which will kick off in the Philippines exactly one month today.
FIFA caught up with Japan captain Kaho Ito to discuss group rivals Portugal, wanting to lift the trophy and wanting to inspire youngsters.
Kaho Ito: Playing against the world’s best was a huge deal. It was a chance how high the standards are in the Spain, Brazil and Portugal teams, and learn that we’re good enough to take them on. We get fired up for any game, but we were especially fired up. We were also able to experience first hand how far ahead these other girls are. All the matches we played showed us the progress we’d made. Beating Spain really boosted our confidence in what we can do.
IR Iran were the absolute top team in Asia, and we felt like in order to be the best, we had to beat the best. It felt so good when we actually managed it! The match against Thailand was also very dramatic. They beat us earlier on, so playing them again and getting the win gave us a lot of self-belief. We got a fantastic reception when we came back home, and going into this tournament as the number-one team in Asia is a big deal for us.
We’re usually on different teams, and I hate playing against her! But we’re team-mates now, and she’s a big help both on and off the pitch. Having her around is a boost for the whole team.
Portugal are a world-class side, and all of their players are incredibly talented, but the fact that we’ve played them before is big for us. I think that whether or not we make it through the group stage is going to hinge on how we perform against them. One thing we’re really good at is working hard as a unit. Every single one of us pitches in both at the back and going forward, and I think that will be an asset for us on the world stage. We’re looking to stay focused and aim to win not only each game, but each play.
We want to win the whole thing. There may be an experience gap between us and many other countries, but if we produce as we can, the results will follow. We’ll take it one game at a time, and look to win each one. When Japan became Women’s World Cup champions in 2011, you could practically feel the gaze of the world turn towards them. It’ll be the same for us. If we can put on good displays at the first futsal World Cup, it will change how people look at women’s futsal. I honestly feel like this can be a turning point for the sport. My family are coming to cheer me on! It’s not a long trip from Japan, so I’m hoping that a lot of other Japanese fans will be there to support us, and that we can build off that energy and take on the world together.
I’m really happy to get the chance to be part of this tournament, which is something that no-one has experienced before. With everything we’ve done and learned over the years, it’s exciting to think about how far that will take us on the world stage. I think that our performances will have a real bearing on how popular women’s futsal becomes in Japan, and we’ll be taking that responsibility seriously. My motivation comes from everyone who supports us – friends, family, and all of our fans. Futsal still has a long way to go to become a widely known sport, but it has a lot in common with football, and you can easily understand the appeal when you experience it for yourself. If watching us can encourage the next generation to take up futsal, I’d consider that mission accomplished. Nothing would make me happier than if a group of dreamers like us could become a dream for someone else to strive towards.
