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Hajime Moriyasu
8
Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Japan secured qualification with a win over Bahrain and now bring a technically gifted, Europe-tested squad to a demanding Group F.
Read full team guide →Pick every match, earn points, and challenge your friends. Predictions lock June 11.
Japan were among the earliest teams to qualify for World Cup 2026. FIFA's team profile notes that the Samurai Blue secured their place on 20 March with a 2-0 win over Bahrain thanks to goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo. That continues a remarkable run: eight straight World Cup appearances and a growing sense that Japan should now be measured against knockout-round expectations, not just qualification consistency.
Attacking Midfielder
Real Sociedad
Kubo is one of Japan's clearest creative references and was directly involved in the qualification-clinching win over Bahrain.
Winger
Brighton & Hove Albion
Mitoma gives Japan the kind of direct, open-field danger that changes how stronger teams have to defend them.
Midfielder
Liverpool
Endo's defensive discipline and leadership still underpin Japan's balance in the middle of the pitch.
Winger
Freiburg
Doan gives Japan another wide option who can score, combine and press aggressively from the front.
Defender
Arsenal
Tomiyasu's versatility makes him vital for a side that values tactical flexibility as much as technical structure.
Taishi Hayakawa
Kashima Antlers
Kōsuke Osako
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Zion Suzuki
Parma
Yuto Nagatomo
FC Tokyo
Shōgo Taniguchi
Sint-Truidense
Kō Itakura
Ajax
Taichi Watanabe
Feyenoord
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Ajax
Hiroki Ito
Bayern Munich
Ayumu Seko
Le Havre
Yukinari Sugawara
Werder Bremen
Junri Suzuki
Copenhagen
Wataru Endo
Liverpool
Junya Ito
Genk
Daichi Kamada
Crystal Palace
Ao Tanaka
Leeds United
Keito Nakamura
Stade de Reims
Ritsu Doan
Eintracht Frankfurt
Kōki Sano
Mainz
Yūsuke Suzuki
Freiburg
Ayase Ueda
Feyenoord
Takefusa Kubo
Real Sociedad
Daizen Maeda
Celtic
Kōta Goto
Sint-Truidense
Kōsuke Ogawa
N.E.C.
Kaito Shiogai
Wolfsburg
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