FA launches first official Emirates FA Cup trophy tour in Japan

The Football Association has announced the Emirates FA Cup: Tokyo Takeover, the competition’s first official trophy tour in Japan, as it steps up international marketing activity around the world’s oldest national cup competition.The tour will run from March 27 to April 5 and will visit Tokyo, Osaka and Shizuoka, positioning the trophy as the centrepiece of a programme of fan events and cultural collaborations ahead of the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on May 16.James Gray, The FA’s Commercial Director, said: “Together with Emirates, our title partner, it is a great honour for us to be taking The FA Cup trophy to Japan. The incredible success of Japanese players in England has fueled strong interest in English football; creating a powerful platform to deepen connections with both fans and commercial partners.”The activation leans on the growing profile of Japanese players in England, with The FA citing recent FA Cup exposure for players such as Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada as part of the rationale for focusing on Japan.The trophy will be displayed at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo in a joint exhibition with the Japanese Football Association’s Emperor’s Cup, which was modelled on the FA Cup, giving the tour a heritage angle tied to domestic football history.The itinerary also extends beyond football, including an event with the Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome, linking the FA Cup brand to Japan’s most established professional baseball property as part of a broader mainstream reach strategy.Additional stops include selected Tokyo landmarks, the Ajigawa sumo stable in Osaka, and the Oshiba ‘football’ shrine in Shizuoka, with The FA positioning the tour as a set of “unique activations” connecting the competition with Japanese culture.A grassroots element is included through a football clinic at an international school in Tokyo involving former professional players, aligning with The FA’s wider participation and development messaging in overseas markets.The tour will conclude with a Tokyo watch party for the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Liverpool on April 4, providing a live viewing anchor designed to convert the trophy’s presence into match-driven engagement.The FA is also building a content-led collaboration with Blue Lock, the football manga franchise, through bespoke creative that links FA Cup themes with notable moments from historic matches and scenes from the series.For Emirates and The FA, the tour extends a mature title sponsorship into a market-facing platform, using physical assets, premium venues and entertainment crossovers to build brand visibility and create partner inventory beyond matchday rights.