Endo retires from Japan duty after foot injury ends his World Cup dream

Wataru Endo has retired from international football after a foot injury prevented him from taking part in the 2026 World Cup, the Liverpool midfielder confirmed in a post on X.

The problem first surfaced during Liverpool’s match against Sunderland on 11 February — his last club appearance of the season. Despite returning to play 45 minutes in a 1-0 warm-up victory over Iceland, Endo’s recovery failed to progress sufficiently for him to be included in Japan’s squad.

“I will be leaving the World Cup squad. Since my injury, I’ve done everything I could, so I have no regrets,” Endo wrote. “Of course I’m frustrated at not being able to participate in this World Cup.”

The 32-year-old, who has captained Japan since the Qatar World Cup, struck a reflective tone as he confirmed his international exit. “I’m proud to have led this team as captain since the Qatar World Cup and to see it grow into a group that can naturally talk about the goal of winning the World Cup,” he added. “With this action, I will be retiring from the national team. From now on, I’ll continue to support the Japan national team as a fan alone.”

Japan open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Sunday, entering the tournament in confident form after beating England 1-0 in a friendly at Wembley in March. They are also drawn alongside Sweden and Tunisia in the group stage.

The Samurai Blue have reached the round of 16 in each of the last two World Cups, including a memorable run through a group containing Spain and Germany in Qatar. Reaching the quarter-finals, however, remains an elusive milestone — and they will now attempt to break that barrier without their captain.