World Cup 2022: Germany vs. Japan head-to-head record

Germany get their World Cup campaign up and running on Wednesday afternoon when they face Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

The opening match of a competitive-looking Group E will be the third time these two nations have played each other, with the previous two clashes both coming in friendlies.

Die Mannschaft are unbeaten against Japan in both of those previous matchups and will be overwhelming favourites to collect all three points on Wednesday.

The most recent meeting between Germany and Japan was in a warm-up match for the 2006 World Cup, in which the two sides played out a 2-2 draw at the BayArena in Leverkusen.

All four goals arrived after the half-time break, with Naohiro Takahara netting a brace for Japan in the space of nine minutes before goals from Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger levelled proceedings before the full-time whistle.

Two years earlier in December 2004, Jurgen Klinsmann's Germany side beat Japan 3-0 in a friendly, with two goals from Klose and a Michael Ballack strike securing a comprehensive victory in Yokohama.

GERMANY VS. JAPAN HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Germany wins: 1 Japan wins: 0 Draws: 1 Germany goals: 5 Japan goals: 2

MATCH HISTORY

May 30, 2006: Germany 2-2 Japan (friendly) December 16, 2004: Japan 0-3 Germany (friendly)

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