With tears in his eyes, Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu officially confirmed that Kaoru Mitoma will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The superstar winger has been excluded from the “Samurai Blue” squad after failing to recover from a serious hamstring injury.
The 28-year-old sustained the injury last week during Brighton’s 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton. Medical examinations revealed that the recovery timeline would not allow him to be match-fit for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
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Moriyasu’s Emotional Tribute
During the press conference to announce the final roster, an emotional Moriyasu spoke about the loss of his key player:
“Anyone who has followed this team knows how vital Mitoma is to our system,” Moriyasu said. “However, we played without him against Brazil in a friendly last year. This reflects our philosophy: any player who enters the lineup must be ready to perform at the highest level.”
A Massive Blow for the Samurai Blue
Mitoma is widely considered the face of Japanese football’s current generation. He has earned 31 caps and scored 9 goals, including a historic strike against England in Japan’s landmark friendly win at Wembley. He was also instrumental in Japan’s iconic run at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The injury crisis doesn’t stop with Mitoma; Japan will also be without former Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco) due to injury. On a brighter note, the squad will feature Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax) and Liverpool’s midfield general Wataru Endo.
