Japan
Coach
Hajime Moriyasu
World Cup Appearances
8
Best Finish
Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Complete Team Guide
Japan's 26-man World Cup squad is the most Europe-tested in the nation's history. Kubo at Real Sociedad, Endo at Liverpool, Ito at Bayern Munich — 15 players from European clubs. Nagatomo at 39 is the last link to 2014. Japan face Germany and the Netherlands in Group F and will fancy their chances after beating Germany in 2022.
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Road to 2026
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.
Key Players
Takefusa Kubo
Attacking Midfielder
Real Sociedad
Kubo is one of Japan's clearest creative references and was directly involved in the qualification-clinching win over Bahrain.
Kaoru Mitoma
Winger
Brighton & Hove Albion
Mitoma gives Japan the kind of direct, open-field danger that changes how stronger teams have to defend them.
Wataru Endo
Midfielder
Liverpool
Endo's defensive discipline and leadership still underpin Japan's balance in the middle of the pitch.
Ritsu Doan
Winger
Freiburg
Doan gives Japan another wide option who can score, combine and press aggressively from the front.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Defender
Arsenal
Tomiyasu's versatility makes him vital for a side that values tactical flexibility as much as technical structure.
Goalkeepers
Taishi Hayakawa
Kashima Antlers
Kōsuke Osako
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Zion Suzuki
Parma
Defenders
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
Midfielders
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
Attackers
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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