Japan defined their World Cup list with Takefusa Kubo, while Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino are injured. While teams were not yet required to officially name their 26-man World Cup squads, Japan chose to remove any suspense and announce its list early. The squad led by Takefusa Kubo does not include Kaoru Mitoma or Takumi Minamino.
Japan’s progress over the past few years has been clear. That is reflected in the clubs these players represent, with only three of them, including two goalkeepers, playing in the domestic league.
Bad news for Hajime Moriyasu came with the absence of Mitoma, mainly because the midfielder picked up an injury while playing for Brighton last weekend. The manager said: “The medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to return to fitness during the tournament.”
The list
Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima)
Defenders: Yuto Nagamoto (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truidense), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord)
Mitoma isn’t on the list (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Midfielders: Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Junya Ito (Genk)
Forwards: Kaito Nakamura (Stade Reims), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Koki Ogawa (NEC), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Iori Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truidense), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kaoru Ueda (Feyenoord)
The group
Japan was placed in Group F for the World Cup, where it will face three strong opponents: the Netherlands on June 14, Tunisia on June 21 and Sweden on June 26.