Japan Men's Goalball Team Defeated by Germany in World Championship Semifinals, to Fight for First-Ever Medal in Third-Place Match

On Sunday, June 14, 2026, the semifinals of the "2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships" took place, where the Japanese men's team faced Germany and was defeated 6-12.

Previously, the best results for Japan at the World Championships were 6th place for the men's team and 4th place for the women's team. By reaching the top 4 in this tournament, the men's team has updated their highest-ever ranking. Regardless of the outcome of the third-place match, this will equal or exceed the best-ever performance in the history of Japanese goalball.

Aiming for their first-ever medal at the World Championships, the team will play in the third-place match on Monday, June 15, at 17:30 (JST).

Men's Semifinals Result Japan 6-12 Germany

Comments from Men's Head Coach Kudo "We need to study the cause of the defeat, but in terms of defense, we couldn't hold out against Germany's strong throws when we needed to be patient. The conceded points at critical moments were significant, and I felt Germany was simply better. The crowd was loud, making it hard to hear, but the opponent faced the same conditions, so that is no excuse. We were simply not strong enough. We will put today behind us, focus on the next match, and bring home a medal as the best way to thank everyone who supports us."

Comments from Men's Captain Kaneko "Honestly, the first half was tough, but we expected that against a strong German team. Despite some minor mistakes on our part, we brought it to a tie, so the flow wasn't bad. However, we couldn't handle the key throws they made at crucial moments. I played on the right wing at the end, which meant we were in a final desperation mode to score by any means. I kept moving and calling out until the end. We will definitely bring home a medal, so please support us until the end!"

Schedule for June 15 (JST) - 17:30 Men's Third-Place Match - 19:00 Women's Fifth-Place Match