Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma has been left out of Japan’s World Cup squad and will miss the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves last weekend, the report says. Coach Hajime Moriyasu told reporters in Tokyo that the medical team judged it would be difficult for Mitoma to return to fitness in time for the competition.
The absence is compounded by the earlier loss of Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, who suffered an ACL injury in December, and the report says Japan regard Mitoma’s omission as a significant setback to their hopes of reaching the later stages of the tournament. Japan are drawn in Group F alongside Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.
The report notes Mitoma is widely viewed as one of Japan’s top players; he scored the winner in a victory over England in March and was a standout in Japan’s 2022 World Cup run, when the team beat Germany and Spain before being eliminated by Croatia in the round of 16.
There is, however, a recall for Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. The report says Tomiyasu, a former Arsenal defender, last appeared for the national side in June 2024. Other notable selections mentioned by the report include Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo.
Per the report, Japan’s announced World Cup squad is: 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.
