Tag: Japan

Japan captain Wataru Endo was ruled out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with injury and announced his international retirement on Thursday, three days before his team’s opener against the Netherlands.

The Liverpool midfielder pulled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a foot injury, and was replaced in Japan’s squad by Borussia Monchengladbach’s Shuto Machino.

The 33-year-old Endo said on social media that he was “frustrated” at not being able to play but backed his team to impress in Group F, where they face the Dutch, Tunisia and Sweden.

“There will definitely come a time in the future when Japan win the World Cup, so let’s believe in that and support the team,” he wrote on X.

“Let’s bring the strength of Japan together so that that moment can happen at this tournament in North America.”

“I have decided to retire from the national team. From now on, I will be supporting Japan as just another fan,” he added.

発表にあった通りW杯メンバーから離脱する事になりました。
怪我をしてからここまで、自分にできることは全てやってきたので何も後悔はありません。…

— 遠藤 航 (Wataru Endo) (@wataru0209) June 11, 2026

Endo suffered a season-ending foot injury playing for Liverpool against Sunderland in February, but returned for Japan in a 1-0 friendly win over Iceland in Tokyo on May 31.

He came off at half-time and continued to feel discomfort at the team’s pre-World Cup camp in Mexico, where he was not involved in any full training sessions.

He took part in training when Japan moved to their World Cup base in Nashville on Monday, but was not able to get up to speed in time for the tournament.

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“I’ve done everything in my power since I sustained the injury, so I have no regrets,” said Endo. “Of course I’m frustrated that I can’t play at this World Cup.”

“But more than that, I’m proud that I’ve been able to captain this team since the Qatar World Cup and help it grow into a group where it feels natural to say our target is to win the World Cup.”

Endo made his Japan debut in 2015 and retired with 73 caps, having scored four goals for his country. He was a member of Japan’s squads for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and played in their stunning wins over Germany and Spain in Qatar.

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Defender Ko Itakura will take over as Japan’s captain at the World Cup.

“Wataru is the one who will feel the most frustration at this,” said Itakura. “He has been a real leader for this team. I want to accept this role with a sense of responsibility and determination.”

Japan have been hit hard by injuries heading into the World Cup.

Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma was left out after injuring his hamstring less than a week before Moriyasu named his squad.

Monaco’s Takumi Minamino also missed out after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December.

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Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said that his side lost “a major presence” in Kaoru Mitoma after he was forced to leave the injured winger out of his FIFA World Cup 2026 squad on Friday.

Mitoma missed the cut after medical staff decided he did not have enough time to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered during Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League last weekend.

The 28-year-old is one of Japan’s best players and scored the winner in their 1-0 friendly victory over England at Wembley in March.

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.

Moriyasu became teary-eyed as he discussed the players missing from his 26-man squad in front of around 300 reporters in Tokyo, but said they have enough strength in depth to cope.

“I think everyone who has watched Japan play can see that Mitoma is a major presence in the team,” he said.

“But last year we played Brazil in a friendly, and we beat them for the first time, and Mitoma wasn’t available to play in that game.

“That reflects the team concept, that anyone can come into the lineup and the team still performs.”

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Kaoru Mitoma played a key role in Japan’s shock wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they eventually lost on penalties to Croatia in the last 16.

“This will hurt him more than it hurts anyone,” Moriyasu said. “I hope once he gets over this, he will recover as quickly as possible and get back to playing with total freedom.”

Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed out after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December.

Ajax’s Takehiro Tomiyasu made the 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.

Notably, defender Yuto Nagatomo was included for what will be his fifth World Cup at the age of 39.

Moriyasu has said Japan are aiming to win the World Cup and he was in no mood to change his mind despite Mitoma’s absence.

“The World Cup is a special stage, but that doesn’t mean we’ll do things any differently,” he said. “I believe the World Cup is an extension of the process we’ve followed up to now, and I tell the players that the process is what matters most.”

Japan squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers)

Defenders: Yuto 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), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen)

Midfielders/forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)

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DUBAI: Japan is set to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 Qualifier in May at its new cricket venue, built for this year’s Asian Games, said the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Baseball-mad Japan has constructed a cricket stadium for the Asian Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi region from September 19 to October 4.

The new ground in Nisshin, outside Nagoya, will stage the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) qualifiers for the 2028 men’s T20 World Cup from May 8-18.

The biggest East Asia-Pacific qualifying tournament ever will see nine teams battling to move a step closer to the T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Matches will also take place at the Japan Cricket Association’s headquarters in Sano, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) outside of Tokyo.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Japan to show our capacity to host pathway events for the EAP Region across multiple venues,” said JCA chief operations officer Alan Curr.

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“We will be stretched like no time ever before, but are confident we can deliver an event that will showcase the best of the EAP region as well as create excitement for cricket at the Asian Games later this year.”

Hosts Japan will be joined at the tournament by the Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Samoa and Vanuatu.

The tournament will take place in two stages: a Group Stage from 8-10 May, followed by a Super Six Stage from 12-18 May.

Teams are split into three groups of three, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.

At the end of the Super Six, the top teams will earn their place in the next stage as they look to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 in Australia and New Zealand.

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ISMAILIA: Pakistan booked their place in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after defeating Japan 4-3 in a dramatic semi-final of the qualifiers at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Hockey Stadium on Friday.

The hard-fought victory confirmed the Green Shirts’ return to the global showpiece after an eight-year absence. The upcoming World Cup is scheduled to be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 2026.

Japan created the first major opportunity of the match when Tsubasa Tanaka found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but lifted his attempt over the crossbar.

Pakistan soon capitalised, with Ammad Butt opening the scoring in the ninth minute. His initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Takumi Kitagawa, but rebounded off the post, allowing Butt to react quickly and slot the ball home.

Japan pushed for an equaliser and were denied a couple of penalty corners, including a crucial save on the line by Arshad Liaqat.

Their persistence paid off in the 21st minute when Ryoma Ooka deflected the ball into the net from open play to level the score at 1-1 heading into the halftime break.

Japan came out strongly in the second half and took the lead in the 35th minute through Shota Yamada’s drag flick.

They extended their advantage in the 41st minute when a clever overhead ball behind the Pakistani defence forced the goalkeeper out of his circle.

Unable to clear the danger, the loose ball was collected by Koji, who calmly finished with a slap-in at the left post.

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With momentum on Japan’s side, Pakistan responded strongly after their opponents were reduced to ten men following a yellow card with ten minutes remaining.

Abu Mahmood pulled one back in the 52nd minute with a powerful drag flick down the centre before Sufyan Khan levelled the contest three minutes later with another blistering drag flick that squeezed between the goalkeeper and the post defender.

Pakistan completed a remarkable turnaround in the 57th minute when Afraz produced a superb deflection from open play to give his side the lead.

Japan had one final opportunity to force the match into a shootout after being awarded a penalty stroke, but Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza produced a decisive save, stretching out his right foot to deny the attempt and seal a memorable victory.

The triumph marked Pakistan’s fourth consecutive win in the qualifiers, having also topped the group stage unbeaten.

Pakistan will now face England in the final of the qualifying event, scheduled to take place at the same venue on Saturday.

Once regarded as a dominant force in world hockey with four World Cup titles, Pakistan have struggled in recent years.

The team failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, finished 12th in the 2018 edition in Bhubaneswar, and also missed out on the 2023 tournament in Odisha.

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WINDHOEK: Sri Lanka’s Viran Chamuditha delivered a record-shattering performance on Saturday, scripting history in the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 during his side’s opening fixture against Japan at the Namibia Cricket Ground.

The left-hander produced a monumental innings of 192 from 143 deliveries, the highest individual score ever recorded in the tournament’s history.

His knock, studded with 26 boundaries and a six, saw him surpass the previous record of fellow Sri Lankan Hasith Boyagoda, who had scored 191 against Kenya in the 2018 edition.

Highest individual scores in U19 World Cup

Chamuditha’s innings laid the foundation for a commanding Sri Lankan total and only came to an end when he was dismissed by Timothy Moore, by which time the damage had already been done.

The record-breaking display was complemented by another landmark achievement, as Chamuditha and opening partner Dimantha Mahavitana stitched together a colossal 328-run stand.

The partnership is now the highest for any wicket in the history of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup.

Highest partnerships in U19 World Cup

Powered by the mammoth opening stand, Sri Lanka posted an imposing target of 388 runs for Japan in their first outing of the 2026 tournament, underlining their intent early in the competition.

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Coach Carlo Ancelotti said Brazil ‘mentally collapsed’ in their 3-2 friendly defeat to Japan on Tuesday and warned that they need to learn from their mistakes before the World Cup.

Brazil threw away a two-goal lead as Japan came roaring back in the second half in Tokyo, with Ancelotti’s men helpless in the face of the home side’s pressure.

A mistake in the Brazil defence for Japan’s first goal opened the floodgates, and Ancelotti said his players were not strong enough to turn it around.

“Brazil didn’t have the attitude in the second half to stop Japan’s reaction,” said the Italian.

“I am very clear about what happened, that the team mentally collapsed after the first mistake. “This was the team’s biggest mistake.”

It was Ancelotti’s second defeat since taking over in May, following a 1-0 away loss to Bolivia in World Cup qualifying.

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Brazil arrived in Tokyo fresh from a 5-0 thrashing of South Korea, and they turned on the style again in a sparkling first-half performance.

Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli both scored to put the five-time world champions comfortably ahead at the break.

Japan came roaring back after half-time with goals from Takumi Minamino, Keito Nakamura, and Ayase Ueda to give their country their first win over Brazil.

“We lost a bit of a good attitude and positive thinking,” said Ancelotti.

“The mistakes had an influence on the team.”

Ancelotti is bidding to become the first foreign-born coach to win the World Cup at next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

He vowed to keep experimenting with his line-up and said individual mistakes would not cost players their places in the squad.

Ancelotti said it was “better to make these mistakes now than at the World Cup”. “We need to learn from the mistakes we made in the second half,” he said.

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DAZHOU: Japan secured a 3-0 victory over the Pakistan hockey team to clinch the U-18 Asia Cup title here at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre on Sunday.

Japan ended Pakistan’s unbeaten run in the tournament with a dominant display in the final. The winning team kept the Greens at bay from the nets throughout the four quarters of the game.

Both teams fought hard but were unable to score in the opening quarter of the game. However, Japan took the lead with Yuma Fujiwara scoring goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes of the game.

 

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Japan further capitalized on the lead over the Pakistan Hockey team in the 49th minute of the match when Tatsuaki Yasui converted a penalty corner to send the ball into the nets.

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Earlier, the Pakistan hockey team secured their place in the semi-finals of the U-18 Asia Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Malaysia, continuing their unbeaten streak in the tournament until the final.

The Green Shirts’ journey in the Asia Cup started dominantly with crushing victories against Hong Kong (8-0), Bangladesh (6-3), Sri Lanka (9-0), and China (2-1).

For the unversed, the loss against Japan marks the second for the Pakistan hockey team in a month’s time. Pakistan also suffered a defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the FIH Nations Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2025.

Pakistan Hockey Squad for U-18 Asia Cup

Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hamzad, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid

Team management: Shafqat Malik (manager): Mukhtar Ahmed, Touseeq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rahman (coaches)

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JEONJU: Pakistan reached the final of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025, defeating Japan with a dominant 64-39 victory in the semi-final at Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium on Thursday.

The unbeaten Green Shirts showcased their dominance over Japan throughout the semi-final, taking an early lead with a score of  21-7 in the first quarter.

Pakistan’s dominance continued, scoring 34-19 at halftime and 42-28 by the end of the third quarter, before sealing the match in emphatic fashion.

For Pakistan, Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, Amani, Parisa, and Farah Rasheed were standout performers who excelled in both defense and attack.

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Following the thrilling victory, Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassar Arian, President Sameen Malik, and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz lauded the national team’s victory.

Pakistan will face the Maldives in the final tomorrow (Friday).

Maldives booked their place in the final after securing a 51-39 victory over Chinese Taipei in the second semi-final of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship.

Earlier, Pakistan defeated Maldives 49-39 in their fifth and final group match at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium, Jeonju-si, South Korea.

For the unversed, the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 comprises 11 teams.  The tournament is played from June 27 to July 4 under the supervision of the Asian Netball Federation.

Pakistan is placed in Group B, which consists of Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia. Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and India.

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JEONJU: Pakistan Women’s team crushed Japan 79-39 on Monday to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025.

The match played at Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium in South Korea marked Green Shirts’ fourth consecutive win in Pool B.

Pakistan’s team scores of 16-9, 39-17, 60-26, and 79-39 across the quarters propelled them to the final four stages of the tournament with 8 points.

Pakistan’s women’s team showcased its prowess, leading 16-9 in the first quarter of the match. At the halfway stage of the game, the scorecard read 39-17 with Green Shirts having a decisive lead.

The dominant play continued as Pakistan strengthened their chances with a lead of 60-26 in the second-to-last quarter of the game, ultimately sealing an emphatic victory.

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Standout players included Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, and captain Sumayya Kauthar Safdar, under the guidance of head coach Amanda Newton.

The thumping win was praised by senior officials of the Pakistan Netball Federation, including Chairman Mudassar Arain, President Samreen Malik, and Secretary General.

Pakistan will now face the Maldives tomorrow ahead of the knockout stages of the tournament.

For the unversed, the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 comprises 11 teams.  The tournament is played from June 27 to July 4 under the supervision of the Asian Netball Federation.

Pakistan is placed in Group B, which consists of Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia. Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and India.

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Saudi Arabia battled to a 0-0 away draw with already-qualified Japan on Tuesday to keep their fading hopes of an automatic place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 alive.

The Saudis went into the game in Saitama in third place in Asian qualifying third round Group C, one point behind Australia.

The top two teams qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico, with those placing third and fourth going into another qualifying round.

Runaway group leaders Japan locked up their place last week, and the Saudis made sure they stayed in contention with two games remaining after a dogged defensive effort.

The Saudis travel to face Bahrain in June before they host what could be a decisive clash against Australia.

Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard was missing several players through injury but his team were coming into the game fresh from beating China 1-0 for their first win in five qualifiers.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu made six changes from the side that beat Bahrain 2-0 to clinch qualification, with winger Kaoru Mitoma, striker Ayase Ueda and midfielder Hidemasa Morita all ruled out with injury.

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Daizen Maeda started up front, and the Celtic man hit the post in the ninth minute as Japan took control from the kick-off.

Maeda had another chance 10 minutes later but could only shoot weakly after stumbling over the ball when clean through.

Muhannad Al Shanqiti headed over the bar soon after with the Saudis’ first attack of the game.

Takefusa Kubo, Japan’s man of the match against Bahrain, went close twice before half-time, before Maeda fluffed another effort shortly after the interval.

Moriyasu’s substitutions changed the game against Bahrain and he rolled the dice again, bringing on Junya Ito and Ritsu Doan shortly after the hour mark.

But Ito curled a shot over the bar with Japan’s best chance of the second half as the Saudis escaped with a point.

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