Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu named his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup on Friday in Tokyo, delivering a major injury blow with the omission of Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma.
The 28-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolverhampton in the Premier League last weekend, and the medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to return to fitness during the tournament, Moriyasu confirmed.
Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed out, having torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December.
The dual absences represent a significant dent in Japan’s attacking options as they bid to go deeper into a World Cup than ever before.
The headline selection boost came in the form of Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who made the squad despite not playing for the Samurai Blue for almost two years due to a series of injuries.
The central defender last played for Japan in a World Cup qualifier against Syria on June 11, 2024, and had been included in the squad for the March international window before withdrawing.
His return provides experience and depth in defence for Moriyasu, who will lead the team into his second consecutive World Cup as head coach. Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo and 39-year-old FC Tokyo full-back Yuto Nagatomo were all also included.
Japan have been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia, and they open their campaign against the Dutch in Arlington, Texas on June 14.
After back-to-back appearances in the round of 16, Japan are eager to go at least one better in 2026, having famously beaten both Spain and Germany at the Qatar tournament before exiting on penalties to Croatia.
Japan are scheduled to play their final pre-World Cup friendly against Iceland on May 31 as they make their final preparations for what they hope will be a historic deep run.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki, Keisuke Osako, Tomoki Hayakawa.
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Hiroki Ito, Ayumu Seko, Yukinari Sugawara, Junnosuke Suzuki.
Midfielders/forwards: Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Koki Ogawa, Daizen Maeda, Ritsu Doan, Ayase Ueda, Ao Tanaka, Keito Nakamura, Kaishu Sano, Takefusa Kubo, Yuito Suzuki, Kento Shiogai, Keisuke Goto.
