Japan captain Wataru Endo misses World Cup, announces international retirement
What's the story
Japan's national football team captain, Wataru Endo, has announced his retirement from international football. The Liverpool midfielder's decision comes after he was forced to withdraw from the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad due to an injury. The 33-year-old player has not participated in domestic matches since February following a foot surgery. He did play in the first half of Japan's friendly match against Iceland at the end of May but has not fully recovered since then.
Career highlights
'I have no regrets whatsoever'
Endo, who debuted for Japan in 2015, scored four goals in his 73 appearances for the national team. However, due to his ongoing recovery process, he has been replaced by Borussia Monchengladbach's Shuto Machino in the World Cup squad. "Since my injury, I've done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever," Endo said.
Information
After Mitoma, now Endo gets ruled out
Endo's absence is the latest World Cup blow for Japan. Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma was earlier ruled out with a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old missed the club's final two Premier League games of the season against Leeds United and Manchester United.
Japan
Japan placed in Group F
Japan are placed in Group F and kick off their eighth appearance at the World Cup against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 14 before taking on Tunisia and Sweden. In the 2022 event, Japan beat both Spain and Germany in the group stage before losing in the Round of 16 on penalties to Croatia.
Twitter Post
Player change!
SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表） 選手変更 FIFAワールドカップ2026（6.11-7.19 カナダ・メキシコ・アメリカ） #jfa #daihyo https://t.co/BlcrVIioAd pic.twitter.com/Opn0YsALxM
— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 (@jfa_samuraiblue) June 11, 2026