[Official] Japan announces final World Cup squad excluding EPL ace... 'Dramatic selection' of 40-year-old legend set to face Park Ji-sung

*This content was translated by AI.

The final squad of the Japan national team for the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup has been confirmed. Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), a key striker who scored the winning goal in a recent friendly match against England, will not make the World Cup stage due to the aftermath of a hamstring injury.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced the final 26-man roster for the World Cup finals, which kick off in June, through its official channels on the 15th.

While the squad includes numerous core players active in Europe's top leagues, the name of Mitoma, a key winger, could not be found. His exclusion from the squad is considered a significant blow to the team's strength and the biggest surprise of the announcement.

According to reports from local media outlets including 'The Athletic', Mitoma recently left the field due to a hamstring injury during a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League (EPL).

Veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo (40, FC Tokyo) will participate in his fifth World Cup. Nagatomo is a living legend who also played in the 2010 South Africa World Cup. At the 2011 Asian Cup, he led Japan to victory in a quarterfinal clash against the South Korean national team, which was anchored by Park Ji-sung, and went on to defeat Australia in the final to claim the championship.

Other defenders include Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden VV), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), and Junnosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen).

The midfield and attack also feature a large number of players from Europe. Starting with captain Wataru Endo (Liverpool), the selected players include Junya Ito (KRC Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Goki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic FC), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Stade de Reims), Gaishi Sano (Mainz 05), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Suzuki Ito (SC Freiburg), Kento Shioda (VfL Wolfsburg), and Gaisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden VV).

The goalkeeper lineup includes Zaion Suzuki (Parma), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), and Gaisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima).

Before the World Cup finals, Japan is scheduled to play a friendly match against the Iceland national team at the Tokyo National Stadium on the 31st for final preparations.

As members of Group F in the World Cup finals, Japan will face the Netherlands national team in their opening match at the Dallas Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on the 15th of next month. They will then play their second match against the Tunisia national team at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico on the 21st, before returning to the Dallas Stadium on the 26th for their final group stage match against the Sweden national team.

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*This content was translated by AI.