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Japan Announces Squad for 2018 World Cup
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On May 31, the Japan Football Association announced the final 23 members of the Japanese men’s national soccer team that will compete at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The final squad, reduced from a preliminary 27-man roster announced on May 21, was chosen following a 2–0 loss against Ghana in a friendly match on May 30 at Yokohama Stadium that served as the final evaluation for selection.
In an unusual move, the JFA in April replaced former national team manager Vahid Halilhodžić after three years at the helm with Nishino Akira, leaving the new skipper an incredibly short period of time to prepare his squad for the World Cup. Facing this situation, Nishino opted for experience over recent performance and condition to assemble a veteran-rich team that includes players capable of playing several positions.
The squad will head to Europe for friendlies against Switzerland on June 8 and Paraguay on June 12 before traveling to Russia for their opening World Cup match against Colombia on June 19.
Japan has appeared in six straight World Cups, starting with France in 1998, but has only made it out of the group stage twice, in 2002 and 2010, and has yet to advance beyond the first round of the knock-out stage. Japan has posted four victories, nine losses, and four draws in 17 World Cup matches and scored 14 goals while giving up 22.
Japan’s National Team World Cup Schedule
(Dates and times in Japan)
Group Stage Matches (Group H) | Opponent | |
June 19 (Tue) | 9 pm | Colombia |
June 25 (Mon) | 12 pm | Senegal |
June 28 (Thu) | 11 pm | Poland |
Japan’s 2018 World Cup Team
(Match data current as of May 31, 2018)
Manager
Nishino Akira
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51917/51917.jpg)
1991-1992 Japan’s U-20 national team
1994-1996 Japan’s U-23 national team (Atlanta Olympics)
1998-2001 Kashiwa Reysol
2002-2011 Gamba Osaka
2012 Vissel Kobe
2014-2015 Nagoya Grampus
Goalkeepers
Kawashima Eiji
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51918/51918.jpg)
Height: 185 cm
83 caps / 85 goals allowed
Club: Metz (France)
Higashiguchi Masaaki
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51919/51919.jpg)
Height: 184 cm
4 caps / 5 goals allowed
Club: Gamba Osaka
Nakamura Kōsuke
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51920/51920.jpg)
Height: 185 cm
3 caps / 5 goals allowed
Club: Kashiwa Reysol
Defenders
Nagatomo Yūto
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51921/51921.jpg)
Height: 170 cm
104 caps / 3 goals
Club: Galatasaray (Turkey)
Yoshida Maya
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51923/51923.jpg)
Height: 189 cm
81 caps / 10 goals
Club: Southampton FC (England)
Sakai Hiroki
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51924/51924.jpg)
Height: 183 cm
41 caps / 0 goals
Club: Olympique de Marseille (France)
Sakai Gōtoku
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51925/51925.jpg)
Height: 176 cm
39 caps / 0 goals
Club: Hamburger SV (Germany)
Midfielders
Honda Keisuke
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51929/51929.jpg)
Height: 182 cm
94 caps / 36 goals
Club: CF Pachuca (Mexico)
Haraguchi Genki
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51931/51931.jpg)
Height: 177 cm
31 caps / 6 goals
Club: Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany)
Kagawa Shinji
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51932/51932.jpg)
Height: 175 cm
90 caps / 29 goals
Club: Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Hasebe Makoto
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51934/51934.jpg)
Height: 180 cm
109 national caps / 2 goals scored
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Usami Takashi
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51936/51936.jpg)
Height: 180 cm
22 caps / 3 goals
Club: Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany)
Ōshima Ryōta
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51937/51937.jpg)
Height: 168 cm
4 caps / 0 goals
Club: Kawasaki Frontale
Forwards
Okazaki Shinji
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51938/51938.jpg)
Height: 174 cm
112 caps / 50 goals
Club: Leicester City (England)
Ōsako Yūya
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51939/51939.jpg)
Height: 182 cm
27 caps / 7 goals
Club: SV Werder Bremen (Germany)
Mutō Yoshinori
![](/en/ncommon/contents/features/51940/51940.jpg)
Height: 178 cm
22 caps / 2 goals
Club: 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Germany)
(Originally written in Japanese. Photographs provided by the Japan Football Association)