Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing line-ups of the tournament, brimming with talent but missing a few key names.
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu has officially announced Japan’s final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Entering the tournament as one of the dark horses, Japan boasts one of the most exciting teams in the competition — a far cry from when the country co-hosted the 2002 World Cup. Two decades later, Japanese football is thriving, as England recently discovered during a friendly in March.
Liverpool’s Wataru Endo will captain the side, supported in midfield by Premier League rivals Daichi Kamada and Ao Tanaka. Behind them, Ko Itakura and Hiroki Ito provide defensive stability. It’s also a welcome sight to see Takehiro Tomiyasu return to the squad after enduring a long battle with injuries.
However, the attack has suffered a major setback: Kaoru Mitoma will miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Brighton & Hove Albion — a devastating blow for the Samurai Blue.
Hidemasa Morita will also sit out despite leading Sporting CP to the Champions League quarter-finals, while Takumi Minamino has not recovered from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Although Mitoma is widely considered Japan’s standout talent, there are several players ready to fill the void. Ayase Ueda, Ritsu Doan, and former Real Madrid youth product Takefusa Kubo are all capable of stepping up on the big stage.
The tournament arrives slightly too early for young prospects Kota Tawaratsumida and Sota Kitano — the latter has been compared to legends Hidetoshi Nakata and Keisuke Honda in a FourFourTwo scouting report.
Below is Japan’s confirmed squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers)
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen)
Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz 05)
Forwards: Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Koki Ogawa (NEC), Yuito Suzuki (SC Freiburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden), Kento Shiogai (VfL Wolfsburg)
Group F fixtures:
June 14, 2026: Netherlands vs Japan, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States
June 21, 2026: Tunisia vs Japan, Estadio BBVA, Monterrey, Mexico
June 26, 2026: Japan vs Sweden, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States
Recent results:
March 31, 2026: England 0-1 Japan, Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom
March 28, 2026: Scotland 0-1 Japan, Hampden Park, Glasgow, United Kingdom
November 18, 2025: Japan 3-0 Bolivia, Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
November 14, 2025: Japan 2-0 Ghana, Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
October 14, 2025: Japan 3-2 Brazil, Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
October 10, 2025: Japan 2-2 Paraguay, Noevir Stadium Kobe, Kobe, Japan
September 10, 2025: USA 2-0 Japan, Lower.com Field, Columbus, United States
September 07, 2025: Mexico 0-0 Japan, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, United States
July 15, 2025: South Korea 0-1 Japan, Yong-in Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
July 12, 2025: Japan 2-0 China, Yong-in Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
July 08, 2025: Japan 6-1 Hong Kong, Yong-in Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
June 10, 2025: Japan 6-0 Indonesia, Panasonic Stadium Suita, Suita, Japan
June 05, 2025: Australia 1-0 Japan, Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia
March 25, 2025: Japan 0-0 Saudi Arabia, Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
March 20, 2025: Japan 2-0 Bahrain, Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
Japan have been drawn in Group F for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, marks Hajime Moriyasu’s second time leading Japan at the tournament. The coach guided his team to back-to-back victories over Scotland and England in their final pre-tournament friendlies.
In Qatar 2022, Japan stunned both Spain and Germany before bowing out to Croatia on penalties in the Round of 16. Moriyasu’s record against top-tier opponents is impressive, and he is keen for Japan to be regarded as contenders rather than underdogs on the global stage.
Having managed Japan’s under-23 squad until 2021, the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima boss has a deep understanding of this generation of players and their ambitions.
Ritsu Doan was a standout performer in the friendly against England at Wembley and made a major impact in Qatar 2022. Coming off the bench, he scored crucial equalisers against both Germany and Spain to help Japan claim comeback victories in the group stage.
The former Gamba Osaka youth graduate moved from Freiburg to Eintracht Frankfurt last summer after stints in the Netherlands with Groningen and PSV. By the March international break, he had scored six goals across all competitions and carried a large portion of Japan’s World Cup hopes on his shoulders.
