Japan head to 2026 World Cup in form but without Mitoma, Minamino and doubts over Endo

Japan will contest the 2026 World Cup without two of their most dangerous forwards after Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Monaco’s Takumi Minamino were ruled out through injury, leaving manager Hajime Moriyasu to reshape his attack despite the Samurai Blues arriving in excellent form.

The squad has won five consecutive matches in the build-up to the tournament, including a 1-0 victory over England at Wembley, as well as wins against Brazil and Scotland. Yet the absences are significant. Moriyasu described Mitoma as “a major presence” and acknowledged the loss would “hurt him more than it hurts anyone.”

Captain Wataru Endo has been named in the squad but has not played for Liverpool since sustaining a foot injury against Sunderland on 11 February. Kento Hagimara of the Asian Football Show suggested Endo is unlikely to feature heavily, while noting his leadership value: “I would be shocked if Endo features in a big capacity, but he’s a leader, the captain of the team and so he’ll be integral.”

In Endo’s absence, the midfield pairing of Daichi Kamada and Kaishu Sano has impressed. Kamada, who spent the last two seasons at Crystal Palace, played a prominent role as Palace won the UEFA Conference League alongside Adam Wharton. Sano operates for Bundesliga side Mainz, while Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka — who contributed to their Championship title — provides another option, despite starting only 13 Premier League games this season.

Japan’s likely 3-4-2-1 system places considerable importance on the two advanced number 10 positions behind the striker, and Mitoma and Minamino would have been primary candidates for those roles. Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo is expected to occupy one of those spots. Kubo passed through the youth academies of both Barcelona and Real Madrid without making a senior appearance for either club, and has scored 25 goals in 164 games for Sociedad, though Hagimara noted he “didn’t show up a lot” at the last World Cup.

Celtic’s Daizen Maeda is among the candidates to fill the attacking void, having finished the Scottish Premiership season in outstanding form — scoring seven goals in his final six games, including the title-clinching effort against Hearts.

At full-back, former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is in the squad after spending the second half of the season at Ajax, though he has not featured for Japan since a 5-0 win over Syria in June 2024. His availability and match sharpness will be monitored closely as the tournament approaches.

Japan have never progressed beyond the round of sixteen at a World Cup. With the squad’s recent results demonstrating genuine quality against top opposition, the question is whether the depth exists to compensate for the players who will not be there.