Nils Nielsen won Japan the Women's Asian Cup on March 21. By April 2, he was gone. His contract expired, he didn't extend, and one of women's football's more quietly impressive coaching jobs ended almost before anyone noticed it had started.
The Japan Football Association confirmed his departure Thursday, naming Michihisa Kano as interim head coach for three April friendlies against the United States. It's a pragmatic fix, not a long-term answer — Kano's résumé is solid (he took Japan's U-20 side to the 2024 Under-20 Women's World Cup final), but this is clearly a bridging appointment while the JFA works out its next move.
A short tenure with a remarkable return
Nielsen was only appointed in December 2024. In roughly four months, he won the SheBelieves Cup — including a win over the U.S. — then added the Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory over hosts Australia in the final. That's two trophies from two tournaments. Whatever his reasons for walking away, the results don't give the JFA much to criticize.
He was also a notable appointment in his own right: the first foreign head coach in the history of the Japan women's national team, arriving after a stint as Manchester City Women's director of football. His departure leaves a vacancy that will attract serious attention.
For the time being, Japan have bigger immediate concerns — a three-game series against a USWNT side that will be looking to settle the SheBelieves Cup score. The matches run April 11 (San Jose), April 14 (Seattle), and April 17 (Commerce City). A Japan side in transition, under a caretaker coach, facing the U.S. on American soil three times in six days — the odds on a clean American sweep just got considerably shorter.
Japan's squad for the USWNT series
The squad Kano inherits is genuinely talented, with significant European representation:
- Goalkeepers: Yamashita Ayaka (Manchester City), Hirao Chika (Granada CF), Okuma Akane (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
- Defenders: Saki Kumagai (London City Lionesses), Risa Shimizu (Liverpool), Miyabi Moriya (Utah Royals), Hikaru Kitagawa (Everton), Moeka Minami (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds Ladies), Yuzuki Yamamoto (Denver Summit), Touko Koga (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Midfielders: Kiko Seike (Brighton & Hove Albion), Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Honoka Hayashi (Everton), Fuka Nagano (Liverpool), Remina Chiba (Eintracht Frankfurt), Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United), Aoba Fujino (Manchester City), Maika Hamano (Tottenham Hotspur), Makoto Matsukubo Manaka (North Carolina Courage), Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich)
- Forwards: Minami Tanaka (Utah Royals), Riko Ueki (West Ham United), Maya Hijikata (Aston Villa)
The JFA now faces the question every federation dreads after a short, successful tenure: do you find another Nielsen, or do you promote from within? Kano's performance over these three matches will shape that conversation considerably.
