The Japan World Cup 2026 squad is starting to take shape.
Japan will look to gain some experience ahead of next summer's World Cup as they take of South American giants Brazil and Paraguay in October.
The cantered to qualification, losing just once against Australia, and that was once they had already qualified.
Their October squad sees a few absentees, with one Kaoru Mitoma and Ao Tanaka both not included.
Mitoma picked up a knock for Brighton against Chelsea, and it's clearly enough to keep him out of the Japan squad. Tanaka suffered an MCL injury before the September International window and has played just 10 minutes in Leeds' last two Premier League games, and manager Hajime Moriyasu is clearly not taking any risks.
There are familiar faces littered through the squad however, with Liverpool's Wataru Endo expected to captain the side in these two friendlies. Takumi Minamino adds another Merseyside connection, and his impressive start to the season for Monaco earns him a call up.
Queens Park Rangers' Koki Saito is also in the squad, and it represents his first call-up. He joined the West London outfit permanently after a successful loan spell last season.
Japan's squad
Japan World Cup 2026 squad: The October selection
- GK: Zion Suzuki (Parma)
- GK: Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
- GK Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers)
- DF: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo)
- DF: Ko Itakura (Ajax)
- DF: Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden)
- DF: Ayumu Seko (Le Harve)
- DF: Tsuyoshi Wantanabe (Feyenoord)
- DF: Tomoya Ando (Avispa Fukuoka)
- DF: Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen)
- MF: Wataru Endo (Liverpool)
- MF: Takumi Minamino (Monaco)
- MF: Junya Ito (Genk)
- MF: Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- MF: Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
- MF: Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace)
- MF: Keito Nakamura (Reims)
- MF: Yuki Soma (Machida Zelvia)
- MF: Kaishu Sano (Mainz 05)
- MF: Joel Chima Fujita (St. Pauli)
- MF: Henry Heroki Mochizuki (Machida Zelvia)
- MF: Koki Saito (Queens Park Rangers)
- FW: Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord)
- FW: Daizen Maeda (Celtic)
- FW: Shuto Machino (Borussia Monchengladbach
- FW: Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen)
Fixtures and results
October 14: Japan vs Brazil, Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
October 10: Japan vs Paraguay, Suita City Football Stadium, Osaka, Japan
September 9: United States 2-0 Japan, Lower.com Field, Ohio, United States
September 6: Mexico 0-0 Japan, Oakland Coliseum, California, United States
July 15: South Korea 0-1 Japan, Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
July 12: Japan 2-0 China, Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
July 8: Japan 6-1 Hong Kong, Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
June 10: Japan 6-0 Indonesia, Suita City Football Stadium, Osaka, Japan
June 5: Australia 1-0 Japan, Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia
March 25: Japan 0-0 Saudi Arabia, Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
March 20: Japan 2-0 Bahrain, Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
Manager
Who is Japan's manager?
Hajime Moriyasu will be taking charge of his second World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA. Japan beat both Spain and Germany in Qatar, before being knocked out at the Round of 16 on penalties by Croatia.
Moriyasu has a 69% win ration in charge of Japan, losing just 17 of the 98 he has taken charge of.
His hand was forced in the latest international break, with several players unavailable due to injury, but it gives him a chance to asses his options leading up to the World Cup.
Star player
Who is Japan's star player?
Ritsu Doan was electric at the 2022 World Cup. He bagged the equalising goal for Japan against Germany just four minutes after being subbed on in their opening group match.
In almost identical fashion, he scored an equaliser against Spain two minutes after entering the pitch as a sub. Both games they won 2-1.
He joined Frankfurt for the 2025/26 season and has already registered five goal contributions in their opening five Bundesliga games.
Predicted XI
Formation 3-4-2-1
GK: Zion Suzuki
CB: Ko Itakura
CB: Tsuyoshi Wantabe
CB: Shogo Taniguchi
RM: Ritsu Doan
CM: Wataru Endo
CM: Daichi Kamada
LM: Junya Ito
AM: Takefusa Kubo
AM: Takumi Minamino
ST: Ayase Ueda
