Japan may be favourites for the Asian Cup title, but in-form Iraq, the 2007 winners, will be keen to underline their own credentials. With both teams on decent unbeaten streaks, something has got to give – and you can watch it from anywhere with a VPN.
Iraq vs Japan live stream takes place on Friday, January 19.
• Time: 11:30 a.m. GMT / 6:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 a.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. AEDT
• U.S. — Paramount Plus
• AUS — Paramount Plus
• Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
Iraq are well known for flying out of the blocks in the Asian Cup and their 3-1 win over Indonesia in the first group game marked the third time in successive tournaments that they have begun with a victory. Exciting 23 year old forward Mohanad Ali, Osama Rashid and substitute Aymen Hussein were all on the scoresheet against a team 83 places below them in the FIFA world rankings.
Japan, however, had to come from 2-1 down against Vietnam, the group’s weakest team, with goals from former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino (now at AS Monaco in France’s Ligue 1), Keito Nakamura and Ayase Ueda, in a far from comfortable 4-2 opener. “Opening games in tournaments are always difficult and that's what we saw today," apologised coach Hajime Moriyasu after the game but he knows there will have to be an improvement against Iraq.
For Iraq vs Japan live streams — and where to watch AFC Asian Cup games generally — keep reading this article, where you'll also find out about free streams around world.
FREE Iraq vs Japan live stream
How to watch Iraq vs Japan live streams for FREE
There are free-to-air options in Indonesia via RCTI+, and in the U.K. and U.S. thanks to free trials for Triller TV+ and Paramount Plus respectively.
If you're usually based in one of those countries but are overseas when the Iraq vs Japan game is on, you'll find that your usual stream on the above services will be blocked.
Thankfully, however, with a VPN you can still live stream Iraq vs Japan as if you were right at home. We'll explain how below.
Watch Iraq vs Japan live streams from anywhere
How to watch Iraq vs Japan live streams from anywhere with a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from any country on Earth.
For instance, a Brit who's currently away from the U.K. could watch India vs Uzbekistan live streams on Triller TV+.
VPNs are inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices, and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. So if you're in Canada and want to view a British service such as Triller TV+, you'd select 'U.K.' from the server list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action and watch the Iraq vs Japan live stream on Triller TV+.
Iraq vs Japan live streams by country
How to watch Iraq vs Japan live streams in the U.S.
In the U.S., streaming service Paramount Plus will show Iraq vs Japan, along with every Asian Cup soccer game. This game starts at 6:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 a.m. PT on Friday morning.
If you don't already have a subscription, prices start from only $5.99/month for the basic package, rising to $11.99/month ad-free. There's currently a 7-day FREE trial of Paramount Plus available to new users, so it's well worth checking out if you haven't already.
If you're outside of the U.S., then using a VPN like ExpressVPN will help you access the otherwise blocked India vs Uzbekistan live stream.
How to watch Iraq vs Japan live streams in the U.K.
You can live stream Iraq v Japan and watch all other 2023 Asian Cup games on the little-known Triller TV+ platform.
Better known for showing combat sports, Triller TV+ works across a wide range of streaming devices and costs £7.99/month or £69.99/year with a 7-day FREE trial for anybody who hasn't used it before.
Iraq vs Japan kicks off at 11:30am GMT on Friday morning.
How to watch Iraq vs Japan live streams in Australia
Iraq vs Japan is being shown on Paramount Plus in Australia. Subscriptions cost from $9.99/month, but be warned that kick-off is set for 1:30 a.m. AEDT in the early hours of Friday morning.
It's also worth noting that all of Australia's games, together with the final, are being shown for free thanks to Network 10 and the 10Play streaming service.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use ExpressVPN to watch all the action on your travels as if you were back home.
Iraq vs Japan squads
IRAQ SQUAD - Goalkeepers: Jalal Hassan, Ahmed Basil, Fahad Talib Defenders: Ali Adnan, Rebin Al Sulaka, Frans Putros, Saad Natiq, Zaid Tahseen, Allan Mohideen, Hussein Ali, Ahmed Yahia, Merchas Doski Midfielders/ Forwards: Amjad Attwan, Amir Al-Ammari, Osama Rashid, Ahmad Allee, Zidane Iqbal, Ibrahim Bayesh, Montader Madjed, Danilo Al-Saed, Youssef Amyn, Bashar Resan, Ali Jasim, Aymen Hussein, Mohanad Ali, Ali Al-Hamadi
JAPAN SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Daiya Maekawa, Zion Suzuki, Taishi Brandon Nozawa Defenders: Shogo Taniguchi, Kou Itakura, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Yuta Nakayama, Koki Machida, Seiya Maikuma, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Hiroki Ito, Yukinari Sugawara Midfielders/forwards: Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Takuma Asano, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Kaoru Mitoma, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Ritsu Doan, Ayase Ueda, Keito Nakamura, Kaishu Sano, Takefusa Kubo, Mao Hosoya
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