Monaco forward Takumi Minamino was also absent due to injury, but former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu participated.
Published May 15, 2026
Injured Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has been left out of Japan’s World Cup squad, dealing a major blow to their chances of reaching the last 16 for the first time.
The 28-year-old injured his hamstring during Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League last weekend.
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“The medical team determined that it would be difficult for him to regain fitness during the tournament,” coach Hajime Moriyasu said Friday when announcing the team’s name in Tokyo.
Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed the tournament after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December.
Japan was drawn with the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F, and will start their match against the Netherlands on June 14th in Arlington, Texas.
Mitoma, who has scored nine goals, is one of Japan’s best players and scored the winning goal in a 1-0 friendly win against England at Wembley in March.
He also played a key role in his country’s shock wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Japan ultimately lost to Croatia in the last 16 on penalties.
Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was included in the 26-man squad despite not being able to play for Samurai Blue for about two years due to a series of injuries.
The central defender, who currently plays for Ajax after his contract with Arsenal was terminated by mutual consent last year, last played for Japan on June 11, 2024, in a World Cup qualifier against Syria. Before he withdrew, he was included in the squad for the national team in March.
Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamata, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo and 39-year-old FC Tokyo full-back Yuto Nagatomo were also included.
Wolfsburg’s Kento Shiogai, who won his first cap in Japan’s 1-0 win over Scotland in Glasgow in March, also played.
Coach Moriyasu will lead the team to his second World Cup as manager.
Japan is scheduled to play Iceland on May 31st in their last friendly before the World Cup. He will then travel to the team’s home base in Nashville, Tennessee, where he will train at the Nashville SC Training Center.
Following the opening game against the Netherlands, they will play Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico on June 20th and Sweden in Arlington on June 25th.
2026 World Cup Japan National Team Members:
GK: Zion Suzuki, Keisuke Osako, Tomoki Hayakawa.
DF: Yuto Nagatomo, Shogo Taniguchi, Akira Itakura, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Yuki Ito, Ayumu Seko, Yukinari Sugawara, Junnosuke Suzuki.
MF: Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamata, Ritsu Doan, Ao Tanaka, Kaishu Sano, Takefusa Kubo, Yuito Suzuki.
FW: Daizen Maeda, Koki Ogawa, Ayase Ueda, Keito Nakamura, Kento Shiogai, Keisuke Goto.
