Japan Announces Men’s National Soccer Team for 2026 World Cup

Eyeing First Quarterfinal

On May 15, the Japan Football Association announced the 26 members of the Japanese men’s national soccer team who will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Samurai Blue is making its eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament, which is set to kick off on June 11 in Mexico City. 

Japan, ranked eighteenth internationally, will compete in Group F against the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden. The team starts its campaign on June 14 against past finalist the Netherlands, ranked seventh. It will then face off against forty-fourth-ranked Tunisia on June 20 and thirty-eighth-ranked Sweden on June 25. (Dates for fixtures are one day ahead in Japan.)

Japan has made it to the knock-out stage a total of four times, including at the last two tournaments, but has yet to move past the round of 16. 

Japan’s National Team World Cup Schedule

(Dates and times in Japan)

Japan’s 2026 World Cup Team

Manager

Moriyasu Hajime

Date of birth: August 23, 1968

Managing history
2012–17: Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2017: Japan U-20 national team
2018: Japan U-23 national team
2018–present: Japan national team

Goalkeepers

Suzuki Zion

Date of birth: August 21, 2002
Height: 190 cm
23 caps / 14 goals allowed
Club: Parma Calcio 1913 (Italy)

Ōsako Keisuke

Date of birth: July 28, 1999
Height: 188 cm
11 caps / 8 goals allowed
Club: Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hayakawa Tomoki

Date of birth: March 3, 1999
Height: 187 cm
3 caps / 0 goals allowed
Club: Kashima Antlers

Defenders

Nagatomo Yūto

Date of birth: September 12, 1986
Height: 170 cm
144 caps / 4 goals
Club: FC Tokyo

Taniguchi Shōgo

Date of birth: July 15, 1991
Height: 185 cm
37 caps / 1 goal
Club: Sint-Truidense VV (Belgium)

Watanabe Tsuyoshi

Date of birth: February 5, 1997
Height: 184 cm
10 caps / 0 goals
Club: Feyenoord (Netherlands)

Suzuki Junnosuke

Date of birth: July 12, 2003
Height: 180 cm
6 caps / 0 goals
Club: FC Copenhagen (Denmark)

Itō Hiroki

Date of birth: May 12, 1999
Height: 188 cm
23 caps / 1 goal
Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)

Itakura Kō

Date of birth: January 27, 1997
Height: 188 cm
39 caps / 2 goals
Club: AFC Ajax (Netherlands)

Tomiyasu Takehiro

Date of birth: November 5, 1998
Height: 187 cm
42 caps / 1 goal
Club: AFC Ajax (Netherlands)

Seko Ayumu

Date of birth: June 7, 2000
Height: 186 cm
13 caps / 0 goals
Club: Le Havre AC (France)

Sugawara Yukinari

Date of birth: June 28, 2000
Height: 179 cm
20 caps / 6 goals
Club: SV Werder Bremen (Germany)

Midfielders / Forwards

Endō Wataru

Date of birth: February 9, 1993
Height: 178 cm
72 caps / 4 goals
Club: Liverpool FC (England)

Kamada Daichi

Date of birth: August 5, 1996
Height: 180 cm
49 caps / 12 goals
Club: Crystal Palace FC (England)

Sano Kaishū

Date of birth: December 30, 2000
Height: 176 cm
12 caps / 0 goals
Club: Mainz 05 (Germany)

Tanaka Ao

Date of birth: September 10, 1998
Height: 180 cm
37 caps / 8 goals
Club: Leeds United FC (England)

Itō Jun’ya

Date of birth: March 9, 1993
Height: 177 cm
68 caps / 15 goals
Club: KRC Genk (Belgium)

Dōan Ritsu

Date of birth: June 16, 1998
Height: 172 cm
64 caps / 11 goals
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)

Nakamura Keito

Date of birth: July 28, 2000
Height: 180 cm
24 caps / 10 goals
Club: Stade de Reims (France)

Kubo Takefusa

Date of birth: June 4, 2001
Height: 173 cm
48 caps / 7 goals
Club: Real Sociedad (Spain)

Suzuki Yuito

Date of birth: October 25, 2001
Height: 175 cm
6 caps / 0 goals
Club: SC Freiburg (Germany)

Maeda Daizen

Date of birth: October 20, 1997
Height: 173 cm
27 caps / 4 goals
Club: Celtic FC (Scotland)

Ueda Ayase

Date of birth: August 28, 1998
Height: 182 cm
38 caps / 16 goals
Club: Feyenoord (Netherlands)

Ogawa Kōki

Date of birth: August 8, 1997
Height: 186 cm
14 caps / 10 goals
Club: NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands)

Gotō Keisuke

Date of birth: June 3, 2005
Height: 191 cm
3 caps / 0 goals
Club: Sint-Truidense VV (Belgium)

Shiogai Kento

Date of birth: March 26, 2005
Height: 180 cm
1 caps / 0 goals
Club: VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo, from left: Suzuki Zion, Kamada Daichi, Dōan Ritsu, Kubo Takefusa. © Japan Football Association.)