DALLAS — Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu expressed confidence that his team can win the 2026 World Cup ahead of their opening match against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 14. Japan has been drawn in Group F with the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Japan defeated Brazil 3-2 in a friendly match in Tokyo in October 2025, marking its first-ever victory over the South American side. In March 2026, Japan beat England 1-0 at Wembley, becoming the first Asian nation to defeat England. Kaoru Mitoma, who scored the winning goal against England by dispossessing Cole Palmer and finishing a counter-attack, will miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained less than a week before the squad was finalized. Takumi Minamino is also absent after tearing knee ligaments in December 2025. Wataru Endo and Takehiro Tomiyasu recovered from long injury layoffs in time to be included in the 26-man squad.

Half the players in Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad also participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Japan beat Germany and Spain before exiting in the round of 16 against Croatia on penalties. The squad includes only three players from the domestic J. League.

"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 line-up and the team still performs," Moriyasu said. "It's not just about my own experience. The managers that have gone before me, both foreign and Japanese, and my staff also have experience of the World Cup. I want to use that experience and knowledge to increase our chances, no matter how slightly."