A day of great humiliation! 'Even Kubo was left out' — No one from Group F made the consolidated Best 11... All nine spots went to the Netherlands

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese football suffered a blow to its pride. Not a single Japanese player made it into the consolidated Best 11 of Group F.

Football content platform Score90 released the consolidated Best 11 for the 2026 North, Central America and Caribbean Cup Group F on the 10th (Korean time), which includes Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia.

The result was shocking. No Japanese player was included. Even Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), the ace and winger of the Japanese national team, was left out. Instead, the attacking lineup featured Sweden's powerful duo Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal) and Alexander Isak (Liverpool), along with Dutch forward Dontell Malen (AS Roma).

Under the guidance of coach Hajime Moriyasu, Japan is considered one of the strongest teams in Asia alongside South Korea. For this North, Central America and Caribbean Cup, Japan assembled a team composed mostly of players active in Europe's top leagues. This is why there is high expectation in Japan to not only advance from the group stage but also achieve results beyond expectations.

However, when it comes to this consolidated Best 11, the mood is different. Japan was completely ignored in the positional competition within Group F. With even Kubo left out, Dutch and Swedish players filled the Best 11, making it unclear whether Japan can be optimistic about advancing from the group stage.

As expected of the strongest team in Group F, the Netherlands no less than nine players made it into the Best 11. From the forward position, including Malen, to midfielders, defenders, and the goalkeeper, Dutch players occupied most of the positions.

The midfield was composed of Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), and Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona). The back four included Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), and Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan). The goalkeeper spot also went to Bart Verbruggen (Brighton).

Sweden kept its pride by having Gyökeres and Isak in the attacking lineup. In the end, the Best 11 consisted of nine Dutch players and two Swedes. Japan and Tunisia were completely ignored.

Japan will face the Netherlands in the first group stage match on the 15th, then play against Tunisia in the second match on the 21st. On the 26th, they will face Sweden in the third match.

Starting from this North, Central America and Caribbean Cup, the number of participating teams in the final tournament has increased from 32 to 48. Accordingly, teams will be divided into 12 groups of four each for the group stage. The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.