2026 FIFA World Cup – Japan Players Short – Review of Selections, Predictions of Starters, Surprises, and Injuries

Let's go to the top of the list here and begin our quick blast through the team, beginning with manager Hajime Moriyasu, manager of the team since 2018, so he will guide them through the tournament.

We will consider him a selection since he wasn't changed at the last minute.

For goalkeepers, two definite candidates, Zion Suzuki and Keisuke Osaka, and likely candidate Tomoki Hayakawa.

All three of those selected for the squad.

We're only going to cover possible candidates.

We won't do possible but unlikely or seemingly off the squad.

Although, if you're watching the YouTube video, you can see their names.

of the candidates here.

The possible candidate was Teishi Brandon Nozawa and he was not selected for the squad.

In terms of starters, we give three stars to Zion Suzuki indicating that we think he's a definite starter there.

Onto defenders and central defenders, we have none at the definite level, but six at the likely level, five of them selected.

So let me just start with the one who was not, Koki Machida not making the squad there, but the five who were selected were Ko Itakura, Shogi Taniguchi, Ayumu Seiko, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, and Junosuke Suzuki.

There, all of those selected for the squad.

Also, one of our three possible candidates, Takehiro Tomayusu, was selected, but the other possible candidates were not.

Kota Take and Tomoya Ando.

uh there in terms of starters we're really uh not sure over here there's a bit of a story to that which we told in section two but we're giving one star as possible starters to five of the six candidates talk about equivocating okay it is ko etakura and shogu taniguchi we kind of called them the old guard there each get one star and then newcomers Ayumu Seko and Soyushi Watanabe both of those getting one stars we also have Takahiro Tomiyasu as a possible starter Over to left backs, none at the definite level.

At the likely level is Bayern Munich's Hiroki Ito, who was selected, and possible candidate Yuto Nagatomo, also selected for the squad.

And in terms of starters, we think Hiroki Ito is a likely starter there.

uh especially if they use a four-man uh central defense which we don't think they will uh we think it'll be a three-man central defense so in that case uh hiroki ito is not likely to be the starter so those two stars as a likely starter i should actually put it on here uh or as a left back not as a left winger if they use a three-man defense there uh okay over to the right and we have no definite candidate here either but likely candidate yukinara sugawara uh who is selected for the squad uh possible candidate daiki hashioka uh was not selected uh there so only sugawara over here and uh we we give him two stars if the position is a right back So a likely starter if it's a right back, but only a possible starter as a right winger.

He sometimes does play that role, but not often.

We're going to meet the player who is more often in that role shortly.

Let's move up to defensive midfielders.

No definite candidates here either.

And the big news is likely candidate Wataru Endo selected for the squad, but then withdrawn.

uh, probably, uh, uh, injury, and not recovered, uh, fully from his injury.