Daicel Blind Football Week 2026 in Umeda: Japan National Team Defeats Thailand 2-0 to Reach Asian Championship Final for the First Time Since 2013!

On Friday, April 24, 2026, the 6th day of the men's category "IBSA Blind Football Men's Asian Championship 2026 in Umeda" was held as part of "Daicel Blind Football Week 2026 in Umeda," featuring two semifinals. The Japan National Team won against the Thailand National Team with a score of 2-0, securing their place in the Asian Championship Final for the first time since 2013. Japan's opponent in the final will be the China National Team, who defeated the India National Team 3-0. The final match is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at 17:00.

● Tournament Day 10 Results "IBSA Blind Football Men's Asian Championship 2026 in Umeda" Day 6

Match 1: China 3-0 India Goal scorers: Zhihua Tang (China, #2) 9th minute of 1st period, Jiabin Zhang (China, #6) 9th minute of 2nd period, Jiasong Zhang (China, #11) 20th minute of 2nd period. Match video: https://www.youtube.com/live/kTy3oIXOrkI?si=J1utkeLfhlxKLctP

Match 2: Japan 2-0 Thailand Japan's starting lineup: Yuki Saito, Masaki Goto, Taichi Hirabayashi, Rei Kawamura, Kenya Izumi. Goal scorers: Taichi Hirabayashi (Japan, #9) 17th minute of 1st period, 16th minute of 2nd period. Match video: https://www.youtube.com/live/4CncamxjQ58?si=3pvdcolQqneEpv-H

● Japan National Team's Next Match April 25 (Sat) 17:00 Final: Japan vs China *Please refer to the release PDF below for the group stage standings and tournament schedule. d158910-48-72613f0f4541fa45f2ebc7a8b9878e1a.pdf

● Tournament Outline 1. Tournament Name: IBSA Blind Football Men's Asian Championship 2026 in Umeda (Division 1), IBSA Blind Football Women's Asian Championship 2026 in Umeda 2. Event Name: Daicel Blind Football Week 2026 in Umeda 3. HP: https://blindfootballweek.b-soccer.jp 4. Tournament Dates (Women): April 15 (Wed) - April 18 (Sat), 2026 Tournament Dates (Men): April 19 (Sun) - April 25 (Sat), 2026 5. Venue: Grand Front Osaka Umeda Plaza (4-1 Ofukacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City) *3-minute walk north from JR Osaka Station Central Exit. https://www.grandfront-osaka.jp/about/access/ 6. Organizers: International Blind Sports Federation / Japan Blind Football Association 7. Title Sponsor: Daicel Corporation https://www.daicel.com 8. Gold Sponsor: Grand Front Osaka TMO https://www.grandfront-osaka.jp 9. Silver Sponsors: Sojitz Corporation https://www.sojitz.com/jp/ Skylight Consulting Inc. https://www.skylight.co.jp 10. Category Sponsors: Arnest One Co., Ltd. https://cradlegarden.jp/ AXA Holdings Japan Co., Ltd. https://www.axa-holdings.co.jp SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. https://www.smbcnikko.co.jp Suntory Holdings Limited https://www.suntory.co.jp 11. Cooperating Organizations: Kamo Shoji Co., Ltd. / Soccer Shop KAMO / Japan Care Fit Education Organization / Topica Co., Ltd. / Osaka I Sen / National Federation of Hotels and Ryokan Associations Youth Division / Gamba Osaka / Cerezo Osaka / ANA Foods Co., Ltd. / Hakuba International Clinic / Ester Co., Ltd. 12. Participating Countries: Men: Japan (3rd), China (5th), Thailand (7th), Iran (10th), India (11th), South Korea (17th), Uzbekistan (24th), Australia (32nd) Women: Japan (1st), India (4th), Australia (12th) *Numbers in parentheses are world rankings.

● Reference Materials Profiles of Blind Football Men's Japan National Team Designated Players and Staff https://www.b-soccer.jp/national_team/japan_man Profiles of Blind Football Women's Japan National Team Designated Players and Staff https://www.b-soccer.jp/national_team