The Japan World Cup 2022 (opens in new tab) squad has been announced, with manager Hajime Moriyasu saying he has selected players with "burning ambition" to experience the finals this month.
Japan, facing Germany, Costa Rica and Spain in Group E of the World Cup, booked their place at the showpiece event in Qatar with relative ease. The Samurai Blue finished second behind Saudi Arabia in their qualification group, winning seven and drawing one of their 10 qualifiers.
Goalkeepers:
- Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse)
- Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden)
- Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg)
Defenders:
- Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale)
- Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Reds)
- Maya Yoshida (Schalke)
- Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal)
- Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale)
- Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach)
- Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart)
- Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo)
- Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield Town)
Midfielders:
- Wataru Endo (Stuttgart)
- Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon)
- Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf)
- Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes)
- Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
- Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Ritsu Doan (Freiburg)
- Junya Ito (Stade Reims)
- Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco)
- Takefusa Kubo Real Sociedad)
- Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)
Forwards:
- Daizen Maeda (Celtic)
- Takuma Asano (Bochum)
- Ayase Ueda (Cercle Bruges)
Group E match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Germany vs. Japan | 8 a.m. | Khalifa Int'l |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Spain vs. Costa Rica | 11 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Japan vs. Costa Rica | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Spain vs. Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Japan vs. Spain | 2 p.m. | Khalifa Int'l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Costa Rica vs. Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
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