Japan have been the latest side to confirm their official 26-man squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Hajime Moriyasu will lead his nation into the World Cup and the squad he has named has been hotly tipped to be one of the dark horses in the tournament this summer.
There are several names that will be familiar to fans of English football, including Wataru Endo of Liverpool, Ao Tanaka of Leeds and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada.
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Japan World Cup 2026 squad
| Squad number | Player | Position | Domestic club | International caps | International goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion Suzuki | GK | Parma (Italy) | 23 | 0 |
| 12 | Keisuke Ōsako | GK | Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan) | 11 | 0 |
| 23 | Tomoki Hayakawa | GK | Kashima Antlers (Japan) | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Yūto Nagatomo | DF | FC Tokyo (Japan) | 144 | 4 |
| 22 | Takehiro Tomiyasu | DF | Ajax (Netherlands) | 42 | 1 |
| 4 | Ko Itakura | DF | Ajax (Netherlands) | 39 | 2 |
| 3 | Shogo Taniguchi | DF | Sint-Truiden (Belgium) | 37 | 1 |
| 21 | Hiroki Ito | DF | Bayern Munich (Germany) | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Yukinari Sugawara | DF | Werder Bremen (Germany) | 20 | 2 |
| 20 | Ayumu Seko | DF | Le Havre (France) | 13 | 0 |
| 16 | Tsuyoshi Watanabe | DF | Feyenoord (Netherlands) | 10 | 0 |
| 25 | Junnosuke Suzuki | DF | Copenhagen (Denmark) | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Wataru Endo | MF | Liverpool (England) | 72 | 4 |
| 14 | Junya Itō | MF | Genk (Belgium) | 68 | 15 |
| 10 | Ritsu Doan | MF | Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) | 64 | 11 |
| 15 | Daichi Kamada | MF | Crystal Palace (England) | 49 | 12 |
| 8 | Takefusa Kubo | MF | Real Sociedad (Spain) | 48 | 7 |
| 7 | Ao Tanaka | MF | Leeds United (England) | 37 | 8 |
| 13 | Keito Nakamura | MF | Reims (France) | 24 | 10 |
| 24 | Kaishu Sano | MF | Mainz (Germany) | 12 | 0 |
| 18 | Ayase Ueda | FW | Feyenoord (Netherlands) | 38 | 16 |
| 11 | Daizen Maeda | FW | Celtic (Scotland) | 27 | 4 |
| 19 | Koki Ogawa | FW | NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) | 14 | 10 |
| 17 | Yuito Suzuki | FW | Freiburg (Germany) | 6 | 0 |
| 9 | Keisuke Goto | FW | Sint-Truiden (Belgium) | 3 | 0 |
| 26 | Kento Shiogai | FW | Wolfsburg (Germany) | 1 | 0 |
There’s plenty of top level experience in the Japanese squad, especially in midfield where seven of the eight players selected play in one of Europe’s top five leagues. That experience could prove to be invaluable this summer, as Japan emerge as one of the dark horses to perform well in the tournament.
Only one outfield player plies their trade in Japan’s J-League but it is the hugely experienced Yūto Nagatomo, who enters the tournament at 39 years old. Their options up front include Ayase Ueda and Daizen Maeda, who have impressed for Feyenoord and Celtic, respectively.
- Read more: Japan World Cup 2026 odds
Three players to look out for this summer
Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord)
Ayase Ueda has had a hugely impressive season for Feyenoord in Eredivisie, scoring 28 goals in 46 appearances. It’s been the best goalscoring season of his career and he’ll be hoping to carry that form into the World Cup for his nation.
The 27-year-old is attracting interest from bigger teams in Europe and this summer could be a good showcase for him. He’ll be Japan’s main outlet up front but will need to improve of his return of around a goal every 2.5 games to really push his side to the latter stages of the competition.
Ao Tanaka (Leeds United)
Ao Tanaka has become a key part of Leeds’ successful Premier League campaign, as they avoided relegation and reached the FA Cup semi-final. He’s scored four goals for Leeds this season, and that’s a goalscoring record that is reflected in his appearances for Japan, with eight goals in 37 caps.
Tanaka is likely to be employed in the centre of the Japanese midfield and will produce his usual all-action displays to try and help his team win the ball and move it quickly into advanced areas.
Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
It was in 2019 that Takefusa Kubo was seen as the next great hope for the next generation of Japanese football, earning him a move to Real Madrid. It didn’t work out for him at the Bernabeu but he’s still only 24 and is closing in on 100 appearances for La Liga side, Real Sociedad.
He’s scored 23 goals in that time, roughly one in every four games, and has proven himself to be an integral part of the set up for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side. The World Cup gives him another chance to show that promise that earned him his big move and put himself back into the conversation of great Japanese players of the modern era.
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Japan World Cup 2026 fixtures
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