November is fast approaching and with it comes the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™. At the helm for Japan is head coach Nozomi Hiroyama, who leads his team into a tournament that they have been spending the past two years preparing for.
“We’ve been working hard and every single player I’ve selected is ready and confident coming into the tournament,” Hiroyama told FIFA. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Hiroyama speaks quietly, but his belief in his players comes through loud and clear.
“The U-17 level is an age where a lot of development happens in a short time,” he added. “My hope is that joining the national team can be a catalyst for their next step forward, and that’s something I’m always looking to foster.”
For both the coach and his young charges, the U-17 World Cup is more than just an international tournament. When asked what his players are looking to achieve in Qatar, Hiroyama responded: “It doesn’t matter if it’s the senior side or an age-group side, playing on the world stage is always something special.
“The experience that the players have here will be an important part of their career as footballers, maybe for the senior national side, maybe at European clubs. In fact, a lot of our current internationals played at this tournament. Playing and winning in the U-17 World Cup can help a lot with building players’ self-belief.
“I want them to give their absolute all out there and I want them to win. There’s a confidence you can only get by winning, and it’s that confidence that can drive them to reach the next level. If there’s one thing I want them to get from the tournament, it’s that.”
The senior Japanese team recently recorded a momentous victory over Brazil. Hiroyama explained how their success provides inspiration for his players.
“A lot of the players would have watched that game and thought, ‘We can do that too.’ That’s the stage we’re at now. Take a look at Argentina, for example. They’re a country that has the experience of winning, and their players have been going into tournaments with that mentality for decades as a result. We are in the process of reaching that point ourselves, and it’s up to us, as coaches and mentors, to make that process faster.”
The AFC U-17 Asian Cup took place earlier this year, in which Japan’s hopes of retaining their title were dashed by Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals. Hiroyama believes his team will be able to use that pain as fuel to drive them on in Qatar.
“Our goal was to come into the U-17 World Cup on the back of winning that tournament, so it was definitely frustrating. However, losing is part of learning as a footballer, and that frustration will be an important experience for the team.
“I’ve seen big changes in the players in the months since that loss. The proof that they’ve grown will have to come in how they apply that energy going into the World Cup.
“This group is at their best when they’re coming in with a pure and simple desire to win. That’s exactly why my role is to support them in finding their potential. It’s not just about guiding them, it’s far more hands-on than that. As a coach at youth level, I need to always have an eye out for signs of development and lay out the path for them without holding them back.”
Japan have been drawn in an intriguing group at at the U-17 World Cup and will do battle with New Caledonia, African champions Morocco and European kings Portugal.
“I think we’ve ended up in a really great group – they’re all very strong sides,” said Hiroyama. “Morocco are the African champions. They’re hard to break down, and they’re quick on the counter. New Caledonia have some very fast players with top-drawer technique, so we can’t underestimate them. As for Portugal, they’re the European champions. They beat France 3-0, who we also played this year when we toured Europe. All of these matches are going to be completely different challenges that we’ll have to prepare for.
“There’s a lot of scope for learning by playing against all these different teams in the group stage. It’s going to be a key part of these boys’ football education. I want to see them make a step up as they take on these three tricky games.”
He added: “The greatest weapon that Japan has is that all of our teams, including the senior side, are part of a single unit. It’s the same for us as a group. We keep up our concentration, and we work as a team right to the final whistle. We also have plenty of players who can turn the tide of a game by themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing who will be able to demonstrate that ability on the world stage.”
Hiroyama also had a plea for the Japanese fans, who he hopes will roar them on from back home.
“When you cheer for us in Japan, we can feel it. When the players hear that they have friends and family watching them and their efforts, it’s a massive boost to them. This is their first experience of carrying Japan’s hopes on their shoulders on the world stage, and it’s going to be something that pushes them on to the next level. That’s why it’s so important for us to have everyone’s support, even if it’s just cheering us on through the TV screen.”
