Six Bundesliga players included in Japan's World Cup squad
| Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images |
Six players from the Bundesliga have been named in Japan’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen, on loan from Southampton), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kaishu Sano (Mainz 05), Yuito Suzuki (SC Freiburg) and Kento Shiogai (VfL Wolfsburg) are all part of the 26-man squad.
Japan will face the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia in the group stage of the tournament.
Full Japan squad for the 2026 World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers)
Defenders: Yuta Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen)
Midfielders: Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen), Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg)
Forwards: Kōki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Kento Shiogai (VfL Wolfsburg), Keisuke Gotō (Sint-Truiden)
