Soccer: Nadeshiko Japan to face Brazil, U.S., Canada in Feb.

Japan's national women's soccer team will face Brazil, the United States and Canada at the four-team SheBelieves Cup in February, the Japan Football Association said Saturday.

The round-robin tournament in the United States will provide Nadeshiko Japan with their first matches of the calendar year ahead of the World Cup, starting in July in Australia and New Zealand.

"I'm grateful to be taking on strong nations," manager Futoshi Ikeda said in a statement. "We hope to gain toughness as a team and individuals while getting further tested."

Japan, currently 11th in the FIFA rankings, will open the invitational competition against ninth-ranked Brazil on Feb. 16.

They then face the top-ranked United States on Feb. 19 and finally No. 6 Canada, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalists, three days later.

© Kyodo News