Congo U20 take on the visitors Japan U20 in Maurice Revello Tournament. The match will be played on Wednesday, June 4th at Stade Parsemain (Fos-sur-Mer).
Congo U-20 have emerged as the tournament’s true dark horse. The Red Devils have only once appeared at a U-20 World Cup — back in 2007, when they reached the round of 16 in their debut. That same year, they also won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, although the tournament was hosted on home soil. Since then, they’ve only qualified for the continental competition twice, with their most recent appearance ending at the quarterfinal stage in Egypt. However, Congo were later hit with a FIFA suspension and missed the entire next qualification cycle. In fact, the last time the U-20 side played was in March 2023 — and unsuccessfully at that. The current squad was assembled from scratch with minimal preparation and will make its debut in Toulon under these improvised circumstances.
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Japan U-20 boast an impressive youth football pedigree — runners-up at the 1999 World Cup, four straight appearances at the tournament including the upcoming edition, and a 2016 Asian title followed by three consecutive bronze medals. In February, they advanced from their AFC group with five points, eliminated Iran on penalties in the quarterfinals, and narrowly lost to eventual champions Australia in the semis. During the March training camp in Benidorm, Funakoshi’s men impressed again — beating France 3-1 and drawing with the USA. Clearly, Japan are heading to the Maurice Revello Tournament with serious ambitions.
These two nations have never faced each other at any level — not even in friendlies — making this their first-ever meeting. Japan’s cohesion, form, and preparation put them well ahead of the raw and newly assembled Congolese side. Expect the Blue Samurai to start their campaign with a convincing win.
Prediction for the match: Japan U20 to win.
