WC2026
コラム2026-05-16

[Mixed Reactions] 24 Hours After Japan's 26-Man Squad Announcement — 20 Voices on Moriyasu Japan's Final Roster

24 hours after the JFA announced the 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup. The selection of Suzuki Yuito, Shiobeki Kento, and Goto Keisuke, along with the omissions of Mitoma Kaoru, Morita Hidemasa, and Minamino Takumi, have flooded social media and the press with mixed reactions. Here is a quick roundup of 20 raw voices — 4 critical, 4 neutral, 10 positive, and 2 from overseas — along with this site's own take.

#W杯#日本代表

2026年05月15日（金）14:00 — 24 hours after the JFA officially announced the final 26-man roster for WC 2026, social media and the press were flooded with mixed reactions over the selection of Yuito Suzuki, Kento Shiogai, and Keisuke Goto — three players in their early twenties — alongside the omission of Kaoru Mitoma, Hidemasa Morita, and Takumi Minamino. This article compiles 4 critical, 4 neutral, 10 positive, and 2 international voices — 20 raw opinions in total — followed by this site's own editorial view.

local_fire_department Critical Voices — "The gamble carries too much risk"

S

Sports newspaper desk editor, Kanto

Selecting Yuito Suzuki immediately after collarbone surgery is an obvious gamble. Calling up Yuki Ohashi or Saki Chiba as alternatives was a perfectly viable option.
C

Company employee, 30s (Chiba)

A World Cup without Kaoru Mitoma — who is this even for? I at least wanted them to take him along, injury risk and all.
H

Housewife, 40s (Tokyo)

Shiogai and Goto — two young players nobody's heard of making their World Cup debuts out of nowhere? Is Manager Moriyasu just messing around? I wanted the squad decided based on actual performance at the tournament level.
F

Former J.League player / pundit

Having Morita, Minamino, and Junya Ito all left out at the same time strips the midfield of a great deal of tactical flexibility. The loss of experience is a clear negative.

info Neutral Voices — "The verdict depends on how they're managed"

S

Sports writer A

I can read Moriyasu's intent to balance adventure in attack with experience in defense, but only the tournament itself will tell us whether it works.
U

University student, 20s (Tokyo)

Yuito Suzuki and Kento Shiogai may not be household names, but their reputations in Europe are solid. Whether they actually get used will change how this looks entirely.
F

Football specialist magazine editor

If a three-back system is used, Junnosuke Suzuki would be the best fit at left stopper. That said, the balance of Ueda as the sole striker up top with everyone else in a joker role is distinctive.
F

Former Japan international (1990s)

Ultimately, results on the pitch are all that matter. We won't have an answer until June 15, when we see who Moriyasu picks in the starting XI for the first match.

star Positive Voices — "Going for the title means an aggressive selection"

C

Company employee, 30s (Osaka)

The attacking depth has jumped dramatically! Maeda, Ueda, Shiogai, Goto, Ogawa — five players of completely different types; the tactical range is enormous.
U

University student supporter (Waseda, 20s)

Huge applause for picking Kento Shiogai! Going from quitting Keio University to making a World Cup appearance in just a year and a half — it's pure romance.
F

Former high school football coach (Shizuoka, 60s)

Calling up 191 cm Keisuke Goto is absolutely the right call. Having a player who can match Sweden's tall centre-backs in the air is a massive asset.
F

Footballista reader (30s, Kanagawa)

It takes courage to bring Yuito Suzuki on the strength of his Bundesliga reputation alone. His role as a super sub is crystal clear.
N

Nagatomo fan (50s, Tokyo)

Yuto Nagatomo at his fifth World Cup! Having a legend chasing a world record is indispensable for this squad — as a spiritual pillar above all else.
G

GK supporter (20s, Saitama)

Zion Suzuki establishing himself as starting GK at Parma and then heading into WC 2026 as the number one — that story alone is enough to carry the tournament.
J

J2 supporter (40s, Chiba)

The midfield partnership of Kaishu Sano and Ao Tanaka is the embodiment of a "high-running midfield." It's great to see the trend moving towards younger players from mid-tier clubs.
T

TV pundit (former Japan international MF)

Losing Morita and Minamino is genuinely painful. But Kamada and Endo provide the experienced backbone in midfield while the young players bring fresh energy. This feels like a generational change that makes sense.
J

Japan supporter based in Spain (40s)

A front line built around Takefusa Kubo, flanked by Ritsu Doan and Keito Nakamura, is a fusion of the technical culture of La Liga with Japan's trademark hard work.
M

Moriyasu supporter (50s, Hiroshima)

Carrying the heartbreak of the Qatar tournament for three and a half years while building this team step by step — my trust in Mana

live_tv International Media Reactions

D

Dutch journalist (De Telegraaf)

Japan loses Mitoma but gains Yuito Suzuki ― I worry this could be a fatal trade against the Netherlands' high line.（日本は三笘を失って鈴木唯人を得たが、オランダのハイラインに対しては致命的な交換かもしれない）
G

German journalist (kicker)

Wolfsburg's Shiogai and Freiburg's Suzuki are both Bundesliga-bred. Their selections show Moriyasu's smart eye for European-tested talent.（ヴォルフスブルクの塩貝とフライブルクの鈴木はともにブンデスで磨かれた選手。森保監督の欧州実証済みの才能を見抜く眼力が現れているー）

favorite This Site's View — A well-grounded yet aggressive selection; a squad that is genuinely chasing the title

This site evaluates the 26-man roster as a well-grounded selection that also radiates serious ambition. The omission of Kaoru Mitoma — which split opinion — and the selection of Yuito Suzuki, Kento Shiogai, and Keisuke Goto as "future ace candidates" is, in our view, Manager Moriyasu's clearest statement yet that he is absolutely going for the win.

Forwards are essential if Japan wants to win. In a competition as high-stakes as the World Cup, it is more steadfast to build around ambitious forwards and midfielders who are at the absolute peak of their reputations right now, rather than padding the squad with "an injury-prone Mitoma" or "veterans of uncertain fitness." Carrying multiple unknowns — Yuito Suzuki's collarbone surgery, Shiogai's lack of senior Japan caps, Goto's first call-up just six months ago — is a source of anxiety. But the choice to accept that risk in order to maximize attacking options signals clearly that the plan for Group F is not merely to "sit back and target set pieces," but to go into every game with a diverse arsenal and win through open play.

Had this been a squad shaped by fear of injury and aversion to heavy defeats — one that piled up central defenders and safety nets — we would have lost sight of why we wholeheartedly support this team. Instead, these 26 players represent a selection that genuinely feels like a team aiming to win the whole thing. This site fully and unreservedly backs Manager Moriyasu and Samurai Blue's commitment to going for the victory.

Just one month remains until kickoff against the Netherlands on June 15. That is where the answer to this selection begins to reveal itself.

出典・情報元

最終更新: 2026-05-16

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