One month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, Japan’s 26-man roster for the quadrennial soccer tournament is now set.
Samurai Blue manager Hajime Moriyasu announced the full squad during a news conference on Friday, May 15 in Tokyo. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo is the team captain.
For Moriyasu, selecting the final roster was a collaborative effort between him and other members of his coaching staff ― with Japan Football Association officials providing input, too.
“We had many discussions before choosing the best 26 players for Japan to win on the world stage at this moment,” Moriyasu was quoted as saying by Kyodo News at a Friday news conference.
Japan is No 18 in FIFA’s latest world rankings.
Japan captain Wataru Endo (©KYODO)
Endo Recovering From Ankle Injury
Endo, 33, has been sidelined since February due to a left ankle injury. But he has made progress in his recovery from the injury.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot provided an update on April 24, indicating Endo was nearing a return in the coming weeks.
“Wataru is starting to do exercises outside with the rehab team,” Slot said, according to the Liverpool Echo. “He is making steps but he will not be available for [Manchester] United or the game after, but we are hopeful he will play again this season.”
On Friday, Endo posted an update on X (formerly Twitter).
“I’m glad to be in the Japan squad for the World Cup,” Endo wrote. “It’s an honor to lead this Japan team as the captain.
“It wasn’t an easy way to recover from the injury, but I believed in myself to make this happen and will keep working hard to get fit for the games.
“Thank you [to] all my teammates, staff and the fans for always being with and supporting me. I hope to see all the LFC fans on the pitch at Anfield next week before going to the World Cup.”
Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma controls the ball in a match against Wolverhampton on May 9 in Brighton, England. (©KYODO)
Mitoma to Miss the World Cup
Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma will be a notable absence from the squad due to a severe left hamstring injury he sustained against English Premier League foe Wolverhampton on May 9.
Medical personnel determined Mitoma would not be at full strength for the expanded 48-nation soccer tournament.
“I was informed by our medical staff that his return during the tournament was difficult before giving up on selecting him,” Moriyasu said, according to Kyodo News. “People in Japan, and also the staff members of the teams we’re facing, I believe, acknowledge he’s been a big part of this team.”
Mitoma scored the lone goal in Japan’s 1-0 victory over England at London’s Wembley Stadium on March 31.
“I think everyone who has watched Japan play can see that Mitoma is a major presence in the team,” Moriyasu said on Friday, Agence France-Presse reported. “But last year we played Brazil in a friendly and we beat them for the first time, and Mitoma wasn’t available to play in that game.
“That reflects the team concept, that anyone can come into the lineup and the team still performs.”
Forward Takumi Minamino of AS Monaco will also miss the World Cup due to a knee injury. Minamino tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in December 2025.
Japan’s Ritsu Doan competes against England on March 31 in London. (©KYODO)
Notable Members of Samurai Blue
Several of Japan’s most well-known players from the Premier League and other European pro football circuits are among the notable names on the World Cup roster.
The list includes midfielders Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) and Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), striker Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), forward Daizen Maeda (Celtic FC), wingers Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) and Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt) and defender Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax).
Takefusa Kubo in a November 2025 file photo. (©KYODO)
Doan had a team-best two goals at the 2022 World Cup.
Forward Keisuke Goto of Belgium’s Sint-Truiden, is the Samurai Blue’s youngest player. He turns 21 on June 3.
Veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo currently plays for FC Tokyo. (©KYODO)
J.League Representatives on Team Japan
All but three of the players named to the national team squad ply their craft in Europe.
Veteran fullback Yuto Nagatomo, 39, was picked for his fifth World Cup, a national team record.
Nagatomo, who has earned 144 caps for the national team, plays for the J.Leage’s FC Tokyo, while goalkeepers Tomoki Hayakawa and Keisuke Osaka are employed by the Kashima Antlers and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, respectively.
“This is my fifth selection, but I have never been this nervous before,” Nagatomo said in a statement issued by FC Tokyo. “It may sound [like a] cliche, but I truly feel a deep sense of gratitude for being selected. This goes for my family, my teammates and staff at FC Tokyo, as well as the voices of the fans and supporters.
“Honestly, without everyone’s support, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I can only feel gratitude. I really want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone.”
Nagatomo made his World Cup debut in 2010 in South Africa.
Soccer Rewind: 2022 World Cup
Moriyasu’s men advanced to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Croatia eliminated Japan on penalties.
In doing so, Croatia crushed the Samurai Blue’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time.
A Look Ahead
With its roster now finalized for the World Cup, Moriyasu’s squad begins a training camp in Chiba on May 25.
On May 31, the Samurai Blue will meet Iceland in an international friendly at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
Japan opens its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands in Group F on June 14 in Arlington, Texas.
The Samurai Blue will take on Tunisia on June 20 in Guadalupe, Mexico, followed by a return to Arlington five days later to face Sweden.
Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki in action against Scotland on March 28 in Glasgow (©KYODO)
Japan’s World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers ― Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Zion Suzuki (Parma)
Midfielders/Forwards ― Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)
Defenders ― Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen)
RELATED:
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
Continue Reading