Japans Mitoma Excluded from 2026 World Cup Squad Due to Hamstring Injury

Japan Names 26-Man Squad for World Cup, Ex-Arsenal Defender Included

Coach Hajime Moriyasu has announced his 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The team will face Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia in Group F. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma was left out of the squad due to a hamstring injury sustained during their Premier League match against Wolves last weekend.

Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed out after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December. Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who had been injured for almost two years, was included in the squad despite not playing for Japan since a World Cup qualifier against Syria on June 11.

Other notable players in the squad include Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, and FC Tokyo full-back Yuto Nagatomo. Wolfsburg’s Kento Shiogai also made the cut after winning his first cap for Japan in a 1-0 win over Scotland.

The team will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on June 14 in Arlington, Texas. They will then play matches against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico on June 20 and Sweden in Arlington on June 25. The squad will train at the Nashville SC Training Center before their final pre-World Cup friendly against Iceland on May 31.

Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki, Keisuke Osako, Tomoki Hayakawa Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Hiroki Ito, Ayumu Seko, Yukinari Sugawara, Junnosuke Suzuki Midfielders: Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Ritsu Doan, Ao Tanaka, Kaishu Sano, Takefusa Kubo, Yuito Suzuki Forwards: Daizen Maeda, Koki Ogawa, Ayase Ueda, Keito Nakamura, Kento Shiogai, Keisuke Goto

Source: Al Jazeera