Did you forget the fiasco three years ago? 214 spectators → The worst ever box office failure in the history of the competition has exceeded 1,000 thanks to the Korean mocking holiday

Jul 13, 2025

Photo=capture Twitter

Photo =Korea Football Association

Japanese media questioned the success of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in 2025. However, the Japanese competition three years ago was even more serious.

The Japanese national soccer team, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, beat China 2-0 in the second round of the East Asian Cup at Mir Stadium in Yongin on the 12th. Japan will decide its final ranking in the third match against South Korea on the 15th.

It was a flow under the unilateral leadership of Japan. China fought back with a hand-to-hand defense, but it was not enough to prevent all Japanese attacks. Japan scored 11 minutes into the game. Hosoya opened the goal with a right footed shot. He received a pass sent by Tanaka in the midfield and scored through a physical fight with the opponent's defense. In the second half, Japan added a score. In the 18th minute of the second half, Mochizuki's shot shook China's net and went 2-0 away.

After the game, Moriyasu "We prepared well for a very difficult game. I tried hard. He responded well even when things didn't go well. I think fighting patiently led to good results. The players' challenging posture and the attitude of doing it until the end were the winning factors. They were seen as a team. In the second game, he showed better performance, and I think the players who fought against difficult challenges were good."

However, the Japanese media paid attention to other parts than the results of the game. It was the stands. Japan's Sponichia Nex 'The number of spectators at the China match was 1661. Yongin Mir Stadium, where the match between Japan and China was held, is a stadium that can accommodate 37,000 people. However, there were 687 players in the match against Hong Kong. On some social media, the stands were surprisingly empty. If there is no overseas wave, no one will come, according to the report. Japan's Nikkan Sports also had quite a noticeable vacancy on this day. Only four digits have been reached if the holiday has had an impact.

Even though Japan's Soccer Digest Web increased by nearly 1,000 people compared to 687 against Japan and Hong Kong, the vacancy was very noticeable. For reference, the number of spectators in the 2022 Japanese game was 4,980 against Hong Kong, 15,26 against China, and 14,117 against Korea.

It is hard to say that the audience performance in this tournament is excellent. 'Hosting countries' Even the match between Korea and China was only 4,426 people. However, the Japanese media points out the box office problem, considering the results of the 2022 tournament held in Japan three years ago, it is close to the South and the U.S. At that time, some spectators came to Japan's game, which was interested in its own game at the East Asian Cup in Japan, but the performance of the game between other countries was disastrous. In particular, only 214 spectators visited the stadium at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was the worst crowd mobilization record in the history of the tournament.

It is an excessive interpretation considering the performance of the tournaments so far that the poor performance of the East Asian Cup is pointed out as a problem unique to Korea. Considering the inability to compete in European leagues, weekday game schedules, and hot weather, the reality is that it is difficult to make a box office hit.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.