Injured Kaoru Mitoma was left out of Japan’s World Cup squad on Friday in a major blow to their chances of progressing beyond the last 16 for the first time.
The 28-year-old winger suffered a hamstring injury during Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League 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 naming his squad in Tokyo.
Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed out after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December.
Japan have been drawn with the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia in Group F and they start their campaign against the Dutch in Arlington, Texas on June 14.
Mitoma is one of Japan’s best players and scored the winner in their 1-0 friendly victory over England at Wembley in March. He also played a key role in his country’s shock wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Japan eventually lost on penalties to Croatia in the last 16.
Ajax’s Takehiro Tomiyasu made the 26-man squad despite not having played for Japan since June 2024 because of injuries. Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo were all included. Wolfsburg’s Kento Shiogai, who won his first cap in Japan’s 1-0 win over Scotland in Glasgow in March, also made the cut.
