Kaoru Mitoma was ruled out of Japan’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup after a hamstring injury, the Japan Football Association announced on May 23, 2026 [1, 2]. The 28-year-old Brighton winger sustained the injury during Brighton’s 3-0 Premier League win over Wolves around May 18 and missed the last two league matches against Leeds United and Manchester United [3, 4, 2].
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler expressed uncertainty about Mitoma’s fitness for the tournament prior to Japan’s squad announcement. "Regarding the World Cup, I'm not sure yet. We really have to be patient with this injury," Hurzeler said. "He will miss our two games. That is sad for Kaoru. He was in good form and had a big impact on our performances," he added [3].
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu confirmed the decision to omit Mitoma, citing a medical assessment that deemed it unlikely for him to recover in time. "The medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to get back to fitness during the tournament," Moriyasu said [2]. He added, "I hope it's a minor injury. I was told by staff, 'It doesn't seem minor'" [4].
Mitoma has been a key player for Japan, scoring 9 goals in 31 appearances, and played an important role in their 2022 World Cup campaign [4, 2]. His absence is a blow as Japan prepares for Group F matches against the Netherlands on June 14, Tunisia on June 20, and Sweden on June 25 [1, 4, 2].
Japan’s 26-man roster does include Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada, Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka, Celtic’s Daizen Maeda, and the recalled Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu [1, 2]. Moriyasu announced the squad on Friday, May 23, confirming the recall of Tomiyasu alongside the exclusion of Mitoma [1, 2].
