Japan’s women’s team won its third consecutive Asian Games gold on Friday, but only about 6,000 people came to the final at the 50,000-seat Shizuoka Stadium. Midfielder Yuzuho Shiokoshi scored the winning penalty against North Korea. She said she hoped the victory would encourage more people in Japan to watch women’s soccer.
The crowd and the broadcast
The final drew far fewer people than the 65,000 spectators who watched Japan’s men beat Ecuador on penalties in the Kirin Cup in Yokohama a day earlier. The two matches made the sharp attendance gap between Japan’s men’s and women’s national teams hard to miss.
Japan’s host broadcaster chose the men’s volleyball semifinal between Japan and China over the women’s soccer final. Shiokoshi pointed to television coverage as one of the difficulties facing the women’s game. “We're out there fighting hard, and we want people to come and see us play in person. It's tough at times, given that women's football isn't always prioritised for TV broadcasts,” she said.
The final took place on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Shiokoshi’s comments were reported from Nagoya on Oct. 3. She appealed to viewers and spectators at home, saying she wanted the team’s performance to bring more people to matches in person.
A comparison with Hangzhou
Japan beat North Korea in the previous Asian Games women’s final three years earlier in Hangzhou, China. That match drew 37,000 fans. Shiokoshi said Shizuoka’s attendance might have been large for the tournament, but compared with the earlier final, “I feel like we're still not quite there.”
The figures spell out the gap: 37,000 attended in Hangzhou, while about 6,000 attended in Shizuoka. Shiokoshi linked that difference to the challenge of drawing a larger audience for women’s soccer in Japan, even after the team’s run of three consecutive Asian Games titles.
Domestic players and the WE League
Japan picked a squad made up almost exclusively of players based at home, rather than its top players in Europe. The Games tournament fell largely within the September-October international window. Shiokoshi plays midfield for Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Japan’s WE League, and she said the national team’s performance could help the domestic top flight.
“I hope this encourages more people to come and watch WE League matches, and that it helps generate some excitement around the league,” she said. “I think winning the title can boost the league’s value.”
Her remarks connected the Asian Games result to attendance and interest in domestic competition. Japan took another gold medal, and Shiokoshi said she hoped more people would come to watch the women’s team and WE League matches. The turnout, the broadcaster’s choice and the contrast with the men’s match all figured in her appeal for greater support at home.