SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) head coach MORIYASU Hajime announced his squad on Thursday 29 August for the third qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup 26™, which begins in September.

The team will play China PR at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Thursday 5 September and away to Bahrain on Tuesday 10 September.

Japan, who are bidding for an eighth consecutive appearance at the World Cup, have named 27 players for the first two matches of the final qualifying round, including six returnees and two first-timers.

Five of the returnees will be making their first appearance since the AFC Asian Cup in January/February this year: ITO Junya (Stade de Reims) and MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), who have been in fine form for their respective clubs, as well as NAKAYAMA Yuta (FC Machida Zelvia), who returns to the J.League after spending the last six years abroad, HOSOYA Mao (Kashiwa Reysol), who participated in the Paris Olympics, and SUZUKI Zion (Parma Calcio 1913), who is playing in the Italian Serie A this season. ASANO Takuma (RCD Mallorca), who made a move to Spain this season, will be making his first appearance for his country since the second round of Asian qualifying in March this year. TAKAI Kota (Kawasaki Frontale), who played in this summer's Paris Olympics, and MOCHIZUKI Henry Heroki (FC Machida Zelvia), from J.League leaders FC Machida Zelvia, are the two players getting their first call-ups for SAMURAI BLUE.

Other familiar faces include MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco), who is thriving in the French league, KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace) and SUGAWARA Yukinari (Southampton FC), who have both moved to English Premier League clubs this season, and KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad), who has made a name for himself in the Spanish LaLiga.

Speaking at the press conference, coach Moriyasu said: “We are expecting tough competition in the final round, but we are determined to win every game and will do our best to prepare for each and every game ahead of us.”

It was also announced that former Japan National Team captain HASEBE Makoto has joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach.

Hasebe ended his playing career with Eintracht Frankfurt in May this year, after 10 seasons with the German side, and has just begun his coaching career this season as the club's Under-21 coach.

Speaking of the new addition, Moriyasu said that “his experience in Europe is inspiring and necessary for us to move forward” and that, as a new player-turned-coach, “he can convey many things from a player's point of view and make a big contribution.”

In the past, Japan have made a shaky start to the final round of Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, losing at home on both occasions.

Reflecting on the last time he led the team to the final round, Moriyasu said, “We were not on the same page as a team,” and reiterated his determination to “prepare as a team in the best possible way” for the first match.

Referring to their opponents' appointment of coach Branko IVANKOVIC, who was in charge of the Oman National Team that Japan lost to in the first match of the final round three years ago, he said: “China PR is a strong team that we should be wary of. Their coach is a veteran who will analyse us thoroughly, so we need to overpower them both tactically and mentally.”

The team will begin training for the match on Monday 2 September.

The FIFA World Cup 26™ will be hosted by Canada, the USA and Mexico, with the final Asian qualifiers taking place between September and June next year. The 24 teams are divided into three groups of six and play a home-and-away round-robin format, with the top two in each group automatically qualifying for the World Cup. The third and fourth placed teams will go on to compete in the play-offs. Placed in Group C, Japan will play China PR, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Indonesia.

Japan's first match against China PR kicks off on 5 September at 19:35 at Saitama Stadium 2002, while the away match against Bahrain kicks off on 10 September at 19:00 local time (1:00 JST on 11 September).

Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
The final round of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 26™ is about to begin. We are expecting tough competition, but we are determined to fight tenaciously and win every game, and we will do our best to prepare for each and every game ahead of us. We hope our supporters will fight with us. We will focus on the condition of the players first so that we can be as strong as possible as a team and win our first game against China PR. Since our activities in June, some players have had time off, others have been involved in the transfer market and those playing in Europe have just started their season after a pre-season. Some of the players are playing in the J-League in the extreme heat after the Olympics, but we will try to get the whole team on the same page as we prepare for our match against China PR.
We have selected 27 players this time, which will allow us to compensate for various unforeseen circumstances, such as poor conditions, by having them accompany us on the activities. By having a large pool of players preparing for the FIFA World Cup 26™, we believe we can share the same experience and team concept with as many different players as possible. The two first-time call-ups are making their presence felt at their respective clubs. They are still developing, but I hope the experience of playing for the national team will make them valuable assets to the team. I want them to rise to the challenge and show their potential. As for the two who played in the Paris Olympics, I know they were under a lot of pressure, but I hope their experience on that stage will help them show what they can do in the national team.
As for Ito, I had my doubts about whether he would be able to play in peace and whether the team as a whole would be able to work without disturbance, but after seeing the Stade de Reims' Japan tour, I decided that the environment was welcoming enough for him and the team as a whole to work in peace. We expect him to give it his all for Japan. The final round of the Asian qualifiers is likely to bring a variety of harsh environments and unexpected accidents, so I am looking forward to seeing how the players cope with the conditions.
As for the appointment of coach Hasebe, I recommended him to the association. As we try to make our way through Asia and aim to win the world title, we felt that his experience in Europe was inspiring and necessary for us to move forward. He may be inexperienced as a coach, but we believe he can convey a lot of things from a player's point of view and make a great contribution to the team.

YAMAMOTO Masakuni, JFA National Team Director
The final round of the Asian qualifiers begins in September with matches against China PR and Bahrain. Looking back at the past, we have struggled in the September series, and it will be another tough two games. China PR have already held training camps and are well prepared, but we want to take advantage of our experience to get off to a flying start. Many of the players come from overseas clubs, which puts a lot of pressure on the coach to assess the conditions of each player, but we will do our best to be as prepared as possible. Coach Hasebe will also be joining us this time. We have received a positive message from his club, Frankfurt, and we expect him to help the team through the final round of qualifying and the FIFA World Cup 26™.
We need the help of our fans and supporters. We hope to attract the attention of as many people as possible to the match at Saitama Stadium, so please come and give us your energy. Let's fight together to make history.

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