FUKUROI, Shizuoka Pref. -- Japan will play a total of eight friendlies, starting with Ukraine in March at home, before heading into the World Cup, the Japan Football Association announced Wednesday.

The Ukraine game will be played either March 20 or 21 (venue to be named later) followed by a visit to Poland on March 27 in Lodz, about 100 km south of Warsaw. Japan will then host Costa Rica on April 17 (venue to be named later) and two teams in the Kirin Cup, possibly one each from Central America and Asia, slated for April 28-May 2.

Next the squad will go on a European tour from early May to May 16, during which the visitors will play against Real Madrid on May 7 and another opponent.

After returning from Europe, Japan coach Philippe Troussier will announce his World Cup squad of 23 players to meet the FIFA's team entry deadline of May 21 and will host one more team on May 24.

The JFA has secured more than 50 days for the final stage of World Cup preparations for its national team, which will begin with a training camp in Kagoshima from Jan. 21-25.

Troussier will call up a total of 40 players for the January camp and gradually cut down the squad before naming his World Cup players after a total of 10 sessions. But the overseas-based players -- currently seven of them including Parma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata and Arsenal midfielder Junichi Inamoto -- will not be invited to any of the sessions until the Poland game.

After the May 24th friendly, Japan will hold a tune-up training camp from May 28-June 3 in Iwata, Shiuzoka.