Key stars like Saki Kumagai, Mana Iwabuchi and Yui Hasegawa were named alongside a number of younger players as the Nadeshiko gather for the first time since their Round of 16 elimination at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.

Head coach Ante Milicic welcomed confirmation that his team will take on the rising South American nation as Australia begins to set their sights on qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“It is fantastic that we have been able to secure these international friendlies. Chile performed admirably in a difficult group at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and will provide a strong challenge for us as we seek to develop as a unit leading up to our Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers which commence in February next year," said Milicic.

The East Asians will face the world’s number one side in Charlotte and Chicago in October as part of the Americans’ five-match Victory Tour, celebrating the world title they won in Lyon last month.

The tour has been scheduled as part of Korea Republic’s run-in to December’s EAFF E-1 Championship in Busan, as well as their bid to reach Tokyo 2020, which begins early next year.

Four Asian teams, including host Japan, will compete in the men’s football tournament, while Asako Takakura’s Asian champions will be one of three to take part in the women’s competition, making the battle to represent the Continent one with little margin for error.

Both competitions have already seen dramatic qualifying action in Asia. The Road to Tokyo’s women’s football tournament began in Asia on November 4, 2018, while the first men’s qualifiers got underway on March 22, 2019, with final tournaments to be staged in early 2020 to determine the Continent's representatives.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had already said that he was determined to push ahead with plans to expand the FIFA Women's World Cup in time for the next tournament after hailing France 2019 as "the best ever".

"The astounding success of this year's World Cup made it very clear that this is the time to keep the momentum going and take concrete steps to foster the growth of women's football," said Infantino, who has succeeded in expanding the men's tournament from 32 teams to 48 in time for the 2026 finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

"I am glad to see this proposal - the first of several - becoming a reality."

A penalty shootout elimination at the hands of Norway in the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup saw the Matildas leapfrogged by the Netherlands and Sweden, as Ante Milicic’s side dropped from sixth to eighth following two wins from four matched at France 2019.

While Australia suffered a slight dip, DPR Korea – who failed to qualify for the World Cup – returned to the top 10 for the first time since 2016, moving up two places to ninth despite not playing an official match since the previous rankings update in March.

With three out of five representatives reaching the knockout stage, it was a tournament of much promise, but three losses in four days to European opposition meant that, for the first time in history, the quarter-final draw is without an Asian side.

As the dust settles on the Continent’s campaign at France 2019, the-AFC.com reviews the campaigns of each of the five participants.