This is an original A4 souvenir programme issued for the Kirin Cup Soccer ’94—the round‑robin tournament hosted by Kirin in Japan and contested that year by Japan, France, and Australia. France won the cup with wins over Australia (1–0) and Japan (4–1). This booklet is the stadium‑sold match programme for the event; the back cover carries a full‑page Kirin Lager “Mr. Beer” advertisement starring Harrison Ford, tying elite international football to Japan’s biggest beer brand.
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Design
Clean, modern tournament graphics on the front—KIRIN CUP SOCCER ’94 in bold red with the sculptural trophy and federation crests—lead into team pages and fixtures inside. The back cover features Ford embracing an oversized Kirin Lager bottle on a white ground, the very image used in Kirin’s early‑’90s “Mr. Beer” campaign. Contemporary trade coverage confirms the multi‑spot TV campaign with Ford running nationwide through 1994; TV commercials from the same campaign survive online and match the creative seen here. Displayed flat or opened to the back cover, the booklet makes a striking advert/football crossover piece.
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Why this programme matters (football & pop‑culture)
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Star‑studded France: Under Aimé Jacquet, France brought a loaded squad to Japan. Line‑ups across the two matches included Éric Cantona (captain), Jean‑Pierre Papin, Youri Djorkaeff, David Ginola, Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Christian Karembeu, Paul Le Guen—and Fabien Barthez started the Australia match. France beat Australia 1–0 (Cantona) and Japan 4–1 (Djorkaeff, Papin, two own goals).
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Kirin Cup heritage: The Kirin Cup, organised by Kirin Brewery, has been a fixture of Japan’s football calendar since 1978, evolving into a national‑team round‑robin by the early 1990s—precisely the format of the 1994 edition.
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Harrison Ford × Kirin Lager: Ford’s hugely popular Kirin Lager campaign ran throughout the early‑mid 1990s, with multiple TVCFs and print executions; the Ford back‑cover here nails the look of the period and brings Hollywood celebrity cachet to the tournament keepsake.
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Format & use
A4 (approx. 21 × 29.7 cm), multi‑page, printed in Japan for sale at the grounds during the tournament—just like today’s match programmes. It displays beautifully framed (front or back cover), and it’s also a great coffee‑table read for football or advertising collectors.
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Condition
Excellent for age. Bright covers with light handling, minor edge/corner touches consistent with stadium‑sold programmes. Clean interior. Please review the photos—they show the exact booklet for sale.
This is an original 1994 Japanese A4 match programme (not a reproduction or reprint).
It is over 30 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
