Japan's World Cup squad: Find out the full roster of team Japan in Qatar

Japan's World Cup squad: Find out the full roster of team Japan in Qatar

Lenah Ann
updated at August 9, 2023 at 9:30 AM

Japan's World Cup squad announcement was finally made, with 26 skilled players selected to play in their Group E fixtures. Hajime Moriyasu, the team's manager, stated that he opted for players with the ambition to take them to glory in this year's World Cup.

Team Japan's World Cup 2022 jersey
Japan's players take part in a training session at the Al Sadd SC training grounds in Doha on 20th November 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. Photo: Philip Fong
Source: Getty Images

Having been placed in Group E along with Germany, Costa Rica and Spain, the 2022 Qatari event is their seventh successive finals. The 26-man squad has booked its showpiece event in Qatar relatively comfortably. So, who has the Japan boss picked for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar?

What is the age of Japan's world cup team?

Even though the national team has made it to the 2022 Qatari event, most fans need to be made aware of when the team was founded. Dubbed the "Samurai Blue", the national football team was founded in 1921 and later joined FIFA in May 1929.

Therefore, since its foundation, the team is 101 years old. In other words, Japan debuted on the football scene a century ago. They have made seven World Cup appearances since debuting.

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Who is Japan's captain for the 2022 World Cup?

Of course, for a team to succeed, it sure needs a good captain, and in this case, Japan boasts one skilled captain, Maya Yoshida, who plays as a defender. In 2019, he was named the Asian Cup runners-up leading captain.

Who is test player for the Japan football team?
Yoshida Maya warms up during training at Al Sadd SC new training facilities on 19th November 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Zhizhao Wu
Source: Getty Images

Yoshida's profile summary

Full name

Maya Yoshida

Date of birth

24 August 1988

Place of birth

Nagasaki, Japan

Age

34 years of age as of November 2022

Zodiac sign

Virgo

Nationality

Japanese

Ethnicity

Japanese

Current team

Schalke

Position

Centre back

Number

4

Japan's World Cup squad 2022

Head coach Hajime has surprisingly left out big names from his 26-man squad, such as the likes of the Celtic duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate. But even though he left them out, he has other standout names that seem impressively ready and skilled enough for the challenge.

Japan's best performance at the World Cup on three consecutive occasions was reaching the Round of 16.

Goalkeepers

What is a football team without a sharp, keen goalie between the two poles? If there is one position Hajime is always keen about, it is the goalkeeping position. With the experienced custodian Eiji Kawashima emerging as one of the easy picks, Japan is optimistic about bringing the Cup home.

Player's name

Club

Eiji Kawashima

Strasbourg

Shuichi Gonda

Shimizu S-Pulse

Daniel Schmidt

Sint-Truiden

Defenders

Japan's world cup squad announcement
Players and coach of Japan attend the team group photo call during training and press conference on 19 November 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Zhizhao Wu
Source: Getty Images

Of course, defenders play vital positions in every soccer game. And for this, the team's head coach has ensured skilled and energetic players for this position. In this case, some defenders like Yuto Nagatomo and Maya Yoshido were picked.

Player's name

Club

Miki Yamane

Kawasaki Frontale

Shogo Taniguchi

Kawasaki Frontale

Yuto Nagatomo

FC Tokyo

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Arsenal

Hiroki Sakai

Urawa Red Diamonds

Ko Itakura

Borussia Monchengladbach

Maya Yoshida

Schalke

Hiroki Ito

Stuttgart

Midfielders

Hajime Moriyasu has ensured a strong centre operation in his 26-man squad. For instance, they have Monaco's attacking midfielder Takumi Minamino who has had Premier League stints with Liverpool and Southampton, and Wataru Endo, the best player for the Japan football team.

Player's name

Club

Wataru Endo

Stuttgart

Gaku Shibasaki

Leganes

Takumi Minamino

Monaco

Hidemasa Morita

Sporting CP

Daichi Kamada

Eintracht Frankfurt

Ao Tanaka

Fortuna Dusseldorf

Ritsu Doan

Freiburg

Yuki Soma

Nagoya Grampus

Attackers

Japan's World Cup squad 2022
Japan squad warms up during a training session at Al Sadd SC new training facilities on 19h November 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Zhizhao Wu
Source: Getty Images

The Samurai Blue's squad contains some of the most exciting options in the attacking sector. The team's manager has ensured to include big names like Real Sociedad wonderkid Kubo and Celtic forward Daizen Maeda.

Player's name

Club

Daizen Maeda

Celtic

Takefusa Kubo

Real Sociedad

Ayase Ueda

Cercle Brugge

Takuma Asano

VfL Bochum

Junya Ito

Reims

Kaoru Mitoma

Brighton

Who is Japan's manager for the 2022 World Cup?

Hajime Moriyasu is currently the manager of the national football team. Before his managerial role, he was a professional soccer player who made over 250 appearances in 14 years of his career as a player.

He first played for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, then spent a year on loan at Kyoto Purple Sanga, and then spent his final season with Vegalta Sendai. Additionally, he played for Japan's national football team. Click on the link above to explore more about the Japanese soccer stars, their history, players, management, stats and achievements.

The Japanese football manager comes from an athletic family, as his brothers and sons are professional soccer players.

Japan's 2022 World Cup jersey
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu smiles during a training session on 19th November 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Etsuo Hara
Source: Getty Images

Full name

Hajime Moriyasu

Date of birth

23 August 1968

Place of birth

Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan

Age

54 years of age as of November 2022

Zodiac sign

Virgo

Nationality

Japanese

Ethnicity

Japanese

Current team

Japan's national football team

Position

Manager

Japan's World Cup squad could not get any better. Hajime Moriyasu, the team manager, has all the tools needed and is expected to deliver at the tournament. Having participated in the tournament seven times, they are more than ready to fight for the coveted trophy.

READ ALSO: Mexico's World Cup Squad 2022: Is Ochoa playing in this World Cup?

Spotsbrief.com recently reported about Mexico's World Cup Squad 2022. Despite having more than ten CONCACAF Gold Cup trophies, one Confederations Cup, one Olympic gold medal, and four Pan-American wins, the World Cup trophy has eluded El Tri since 1930.

As one of the best national football teams, does Mexico have a chance of winning the 2022 World Cup? Click on the link above to discover more about Mexico's World Cup squad.

Authors
Lenah Ann photo
Lenah Ann
Lenah Ann is a Kenyan-based content creator with 2 years of experience. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media and Communication from Dedan Kimathi, Kenya in 2021.