Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma will miss the 2026 World Cup through injury after being left out of Japan's squad.
Mitoma picked up a hamstring injury in Brighton's 3-0 win over Wolves last weekend. "The medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to get back to fitness during the tournament," coach Hajime Moriyasu said in Tokyo on Friday.
Japan were already going to be without Monaco's Takumi Minamino who injured his ACL in December. The news will come as a huge blow to Japan's hopes of progressing to the final stages of the tournament. They will vie with Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F.
Mitoma is widely regarded to be one of Japan's best players, and he scored the winner in their triumph over England in March. He also shone in their 2022 World Cup campaign where they defeated both Germany and Spain before falling to Croatia in the round of 16.
But there is a recall for Ajax's Takehiro Tomiyasu. The former Arsenal defender last played for Japan in June 2024. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo make the cut.
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Japan squad for World Cup 2026:
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.
