Hajime Moriyasu was still deliberating over his squad on the morning of the announcement. That's the detail that tells you everything about where Japan are right now — this isn't a team picking itself, it's a manager wrestling with real decisions, real stakes, and a genuine belief they can go deep at a World Cup.
The 26-man roster for the 2026 tournament, hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11, is widely considered Japan's strongest-ever. Moriyasu has called up over 80 players since taking charge again after Qatar, so the depth is real, not manufactured. But the headline coming out of Friday's announcement wasn't the squad — it was the absence.
The Mitoma problem
Kaoru Mitoma won't be there. Brighton's medical team and the Japanese federation both concluded he won't recover in time, and Moriyasu had no choice. For a team that's spent two years building momentum — beating Germany in 2023, Brazil last October, England in March — losing their most dangerous wide attacker this close to the tournament stings.
It also moves the needle on Japan's odds. Mitoma is the kind of player who changes games in moments. Without him, opposing defenses have one fewer crisis to manage.
The replacement case isn't hopeless, though. Keito Nakamura, who plays his club football in French Ligue 2 with Stade de Reims, stepped up against Brazil in Mitoma's absence and delivered. That's exactly the kind of audition Moriyasu's rotation-heavy approach was designed to create.
What makes this squad different
Moriyasu has reshaped how the team operates since Qatar. Specialist coaches now handle attack, defense, and set pieces separately, while he manages the overall structure. It's a more professional setup — and in knockout football, set pieces win matches.
He's also not afraid to use his authority. He publicly dressed down Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo in front of the group for slacking in training. That kind of man-management either fractures a squad or sharpens it. Given Japan's recent results, it appears to be the latter.
The bold call was including Wataru Endo (Liverpool) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), both carrying injuries. Moriyasu's logic traces back to 2018, when Shinji Okazaki and Takashi Inui recovered from similar situations to perform in Russia. It's a calculated gamble — and if either player is 80% fit by the group stage, it still improves the squad.
- Japan's last World Cup exit: Round of 16, lost to Croatia on penalties (Qatar 2022)
- Target in 2026: Reach the quarterfinals for the first time
- Recent results: Wins over Germany, Brazil, and England since the Qatar tournament
- Key absentee: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) — ruled out through injury
- Injury gambles included: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax)
Japan have beaten the teams you need to beat to win a World Cup. Germany twice. Brazil. England. The group-stage draw will matter, but Samurai Blue enter this tournament with a legitimate case — not as romantic underdogs, but as a side with tactical structure, squad depth, and a manager who has clearly learned from the Croatia defeat.
Moriyasu inscribed "never forget the regret" on his matchday notebook after Qatar. He's had three years to act on it.
