Preview: Japan vs Iceland - prediction, team news, lineups

With their World Cup opener against the Netherlands just weeks away, Japan face Iceland on Sunday at the new Japan National Stadium in Tokyo in what amounts to a final dress rehearsal before the global tournament begins, as part of the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026.

Hajime Moriyasu’s side arrive in formidable shape, while Iceland, absent from this summer’s World Cup, will be looking to use the occasion to rebuild confidence ahead of a friendly against Argentina next month.

Match preview

Japan have been in exceptional form heading into this summer’s World Cup, having lost just once in 11 matches since their qualification campaign ended - a run made up of eight wins and two draws, including victories in each of their last five friendlies.

Moriyasu’s side breezed through a ten-match qualification campaign, winning seven, drawing two and losing once, conceding only three goals across the entire process - a defensive record that underlines the organisation and discipline that has become the hallmark of this Japan team.

Among those recent friendly victories were wins over Brazil and England, two of the world’s top-six ranked nations, and back-to-back away clean sheets against England and Scotland earlier this spring further demonstrated that Japan are not simply a team that performs well in Asia - they can handle elite opposition.

Currently ranked 18th in the world and drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden, Japan head into this fixture with confidence running through the squad, and Moriyasu is expected to use Sunday’s game to sharpen the combinations and patterns of play he intends to deploy when they face the Netherlands on June 14.

© Imago

Iceland, by contrast, arrive with no World Cup to look forward to this summer after finishing third in their qualifying group behind France and Ukraine, winning just twice in six matches.

Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s side have also suffered Nations League relegation in recent times, and the Iceland manager will be aware that there is plenty of work to do if the Warriors are to reverse their fortunes in the longer term.

The visitors come into Sunday’s game on the back of two consecutive draws and a defeat across their last three outings, and they are yet to win a game in their last four matches in all competitions - their latest a 1-1 draw with Haiti in March.

With no major tournament on the horizon until the Nations League, Iceland will at least have the prospect of a friendly against reigning world champions Argentina in Alabama next month to motivate their players, but first, they must negotiate a difficult trip to Tokyo against a Japan side that has momentum firmly behind them.

Japan International Friendlies form:

Iceland International Friendlies form:

Iceland form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / Pro Sports Images

Japan have called up 26 players for both the World Cup and the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026, with Moriyasu naming a strong squad for Sunday’s send-off fixture.

The most notable absentee is Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, whose injury represents a significant blow given his importance to Japan’s attacking play, while Junya Ito is also unavailable for this match due to club commitments with Genk.

Captain Wataru Endo is expected to lead the side from midfield, with Takefusa Kubo and Takumi Minamino both set to feature as Japan look to replicate the combinations that have served them so well in recent months.

Gunnlaugsson has named a 32-man squad for Iceland’s two upcoming fixtures, with four goalkeepers included - among them Brentford’s Hakon Valdimarsson, who has 21 caps to his name.

Sverrir Ingi Ingason has been called up but is considered a doubt for Sunday, while 17-year-old Viktor Dagason and Stockport County forward Benony Breki Andresson are among the younger faces included in the group.

Veteran midfielder Aron Gunnarsson, who has earned 108 caps and is closing in on Birkir Bjarnason’s all-time Iceland record of 113, has also been named in the squad, alongside playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has 85 caps to his name.

Japan possible starting lineup:

Suzuki; Seko, Watanabe, Ito; Sugawara, Kamada, Tanaka, Maeda; Suzuki, Sano; Goto

Iceland possible starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Palsson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Tomasson; Haraldsson, Johannesson, Gudmundsson; Willumsson, Gudjonsen, Thorsteinsson

We say: Japan 3-0 Iceland

Japan have kept clean sheets in each of their last two matches against top-level opposition and carry an intensity in their pressing and wing-play that Iceland’s low block will struggle to contain across 90 minutes.

Iceland have not won their last four outings and arrive in Tokyo without the momentum or the personnel to trouble a Japan side that is peaking at exactly the right time ahead of their World Cup opener against the Netherlands.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.