Japan — 2026 World Cup Squad

Hansi Flick's old pupils are scattered across this Japan squad, but the through-line is movement. Drawn alongside Sweden's frightening Isak-Gyokeres axis, plus Tunisia, Group F asks Hajime Moriyasu's side to defend deep and counter at speed, which suits them down to the ground. Qualification has rarely troubled them; the knockout barrier is the one they keep walking into.

Kaoru Mitoma is the headline act, a left winger whose dribbling unbalances back-fours single-handedly, and Brighton's Premier League schooling shows in his end product. Inside him, Takefusa Kubo carries the ball with that unmistakable Real Sociedad poise, drifting off the right to combine. The whole thing is anchored by Wataru Endo, Liverpool's tireless screen, who lets the full-backs gamble forward and the wide men hunt one-on-ones.

Tactically it's a high-pressing, transition-heavy 4-2-3-1, brimming with European-tested operators from Bayern's Hiroki Ito to Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada. The storyline worth following is the spine drawn from Champions League clubs finally translating individual pedigree into a deep run; talent has never been the issue for Japan, conviction in the latter rounds has.