Endo ruled out of Japan's World Cup squad

Japan have lost captain Wataru Endo from their World Cup 2026 squad two days before their opening match against the Netherlands.

Masaaki Yamamoto, head of Japan's technical committee and national team director, confirmed the decision at the team camp near Nashville. The final call came after medical reports were reviewed and approved by head coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Endo, 33, had been dealing with a problem linked to a left-leg ligament injury suffered in February against Sunderland, which required surgery. He returned to Japan's line-up in a friendly against Iceland, but felt discomfort in the same leg and played only one half.

Shuto Machino, the 26-year-old Borussia Mönchengladbach forward, has been added to the squad as his replacement.

Endo had been training separately since Japan's pre-tournament camp began in Monterrey on 2 June. He joined part of a session in Nashville on 10 June, but missed training the following day, which pointed to a more serious setback.

Ko Itakura, the 29-year-old Ajax defender, will take over the captaincy.