Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has been omitted from Japan's World Cup squad due to a hamstring injury, significantly denting the Samurai Blue's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.

The 28-year-old suffered the injury during Brighton's 3-0 Premier League win over Wolves last weekend. Coach Hajime Moriyasu announced the squad in Tokyo on Friday, stating: "The medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to get back to fitness during the tournament."

Monaco forward Takumi Minamino also missed out after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late December.

Japan have been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia. They begin their campaign against the Dutch in Arlington, Texas on June 14.

Mitoma, who has scored nine goals, is one of Japan's most influential players. He scored the winner in a 1-0 friendly victory over England at Wembley in March and played a key role in Japan's shock wins over Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they eventually lost to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16.

Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu made the 26-man squad despite not playing for Japan for nearly two years due to a series of injuries. His last appearance was in a World Cup qualifier against Syria on June 11, 2024.

Other notable inclusions are Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada, Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo, and 39-year-old FC Tokyo full-back Yuto Nagatomo. Wolfsburg's Kento Shiogai, who earned his first cap against Scotland in March, also made the cut.

Moriyasu will lead the team into his second World Cup as coach. Japan are scheduled to play a final pre-tournament friendly against Iceland on May 31 before heading to their base camp in Nashville, Tennessee.

Source: www.aljazeera.com