The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which national teams and clubs participated in), and was last held in its full form in 2022.

From 1992 onwards, the format was changed to a round robin national team competition.

Since the start of the international competitions in 1992, the tournament has hosted a variety of teams from South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Aside from Japan, the only other Asian country to have won the tournament are the United Arab Emirates (2005), who shared the title with Peru.

[1] 2022 Kirin Cup Soccer was held between 10 and 14 June 2022, in a four-nation tournament format.