Overview
- Wataru Endo was officially ruled out of Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad and announced his retirement from the national team on Thursday after a persistent foot injury.
- Endo injured his foot in February, underwent surgery, and despite partial recovery he could not reach full fitness for the tournament.
- He played 45 minutes in a late-May friendly against Iceland, which became his final appearance for Japan as he continued to struggle with the injury.
- Coach Hajime Moriyasu named forward Shuto Machino of Borussia Mönchengladbach as Endo’s late replacement, a change that shifts the squad’s balance by adding an attacker in place of a central midfielder.
- Endo leaves more than 70 caps, two World Cups and the captaincy he held since 2023, and his absence removes a central on-field leader for Japan as they prepare to face the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden in Group F.